Preferred water sources

[coatesg]

One of our neighbours has a hot tub on their garden, and it appears that our bees have taken a fancy to their water. The neighbours don't mind, but I'd like to try and give them a source away from the tub...

Which got me thinking as to why they are choosing it rather than other water nearby (there's quite a lot around) - is it to do with the heat, the salt in the tub water, or ease of access? Does the attraction of different water sources change through the year according to their needs?

 

[user 6228]

heat

 

[pargyle]

Bees often find swimming pools an attractive source of water - unheated ones as well - so perhapss there are minerals in this that they find attractive ? Once they have found a water source it's really difficult to encourage them to use another unless you eliminate the original one ...

 

[enrico]

Mine will always go for a container of shallow warm water. I leave a shallow container with a black cloth in, but once they have found a different source it is difficult took dissuade them from using it.
E

 

[Quis Custodiet]

The salt / minerals in the water and perhaps warmth are what makes bees select one source instead of other sources which are at least equally accessible. Keeping bees on a farm is quite an eye opener.

 

[Swarm]

Yes, quite fond of urine.

 

[Finman]

.
You have so warm there that there is no problem to bees to get water.

They have those prefer things but it has no meaning.
.

 

[For want of a better word]

Yes, quite fond of urine.

You mean people pee in their hot tubs and swimming pools ????
How totally disgusting!


Nos da

 

[Finman]

.
I would say about that urine, if I have 1000 000 bees in my yard, and two lick the pee, I would not say "fond of".
.

 

[coatesg]

Not sure I'll approach them on them peeing in their tub (they may well be visiting the farm next door for their urine fix as much as I know!)

I assumed it might have been the salts, but I know they have also taken water from another neighbour who had plastic sheet in his garden with water pools (as well as from the water in the back of his pickup), so wondered if the heat would also pay a factor.

Still, the bees know best, no-one is complaining (and everyone likes likes honey) so there's no great issue as yet, and i don't need to start peeing in the garden yet...

 

[For want of a better word]

Bees gather on our polly tunnel soaker hoses in the Summer.... when we get one.

The water is harvested from the house and greenhouse roof during the winter and stored in a number of very large tanks...... no pee in them I trust!!

Myttin da

 

[oliver90owner]

Yesterday a part used bag of compost was thick with bees collecting water. Clearly they need it for brooding.....