Feeding minerals to bees?

[For want of a better word]

Thanks for the links very interesting. As I thought no-one has studied water dances and how the "scent" of the source may influence recruitment. The literature often alludes to the difficulty of recruiting bees to water sources.
I may conduct my own citizen science next year by using a scented and unscented water feeder in the garden and see which attracts the most bees soonest

We have a beeyard located equidistant between a cattle water feeder and a slurry tank at one of the farms who host our wonderful native Cornish black bees... about 15 colonies there.

Noticeably the bees line up at the slurrey tank... and few go to the fresh water ( stream fed) tank.

However on another site the bees go for the soaker hoses when they are turned on... even venturing into the polly tunnells to get at the water.

My bet is that they are after the minerals as much as the water they need!

Chons da

 

[birdsandbees]

We have a beeyard located equidistant between a cattle water feeder and a slurry tank at one of the farms who host our wonderful native Cornish black bees... about 15 colonies there.

Noticeably the bees line up at the slurrey tank... and few go to the fresh water ( stream fed) tank.

However on another site the bees go for the soaker hoses when they are turned on... even venturing into the polly tunnells to get at the water.

My bet is that they are after the minerals as much as the water they need!

Chons da

so that would back up the hypothesis I put forward earlier in the thread, Poly tunnels = warmer water source, Soaker hoses = warmer water, dark slurry water = warmer.

 

[For want of a better word]

so that would back up the hypothesis I put forward earlier in the thread, Poly tunnels = warmer water source, Soaker hoses = warmer water, dark slurry water = warmer.

You could be in hot water over statements like that !!!

 

[Murox]

You could be in hot water over statements like that !!!

Yep. Bees prefer their liquid to be around 18C. !!!

 

[madasafish]

There is an endless supply of mineral enriched water at 36-37C instantly available to all beekeepers.

 

[Ian123]

I will let you go top up the feeders then

 

[birdsandbees]

There is an endless supply of mineral enriched water at 36-37C instantly available to all beekeepers.

could also be a bit risky in the vicinity of the apiary