Water

[grizzly]

I had not really noticed the bees this summer taking water from anywhere in the garden, they usually go to the moss on the garage roofs.

It was not particularly hot today, but my daughter was throwing the hose about, we then came in, and in about an hour the bees started to take water from the patio, not many in this pic but they were everywhere.

Is it just simply that its a closer source of water than any other ? just curious why they have not done it before, in june for example when it was piping hot.

 

[oliver90owner]

Needing water to feed honey and pollen to the larvae, rather than nectar and pollen? Oops, stores going down? Been enough rain around here in the last few days for the whole month! Only had to stick their tongues out of the entrance!!

Anyway, just a guess.

Regards, RAB

 

[Bcrazy]

With the warm clammy weather the bees will need water to help keep the hive at a constant temperature. They use the water as a coolant with the confines of the brood box. Also as above.

Regards;

 

[mark s]

mine have a nice pond right outside of there hive,but always go too manky old planter full of i dont know wot

 

[BKF Admin]

Mine are 7ft from possibly the best trout chalk streams in the world,yet still prefer dirty puddles.

 

[mikethebee]

Would you Adam and eave it.
I bin carrying a can of john smith beer in the landy for ages.
Today beautiful worm day I happened to be driving along a slow bendy road when BANG the bloody can burst,
I got drenched the cab was dripping with beer,
On arriving at the apiary I started to go through the hives the bees were all over my wet B suit sucking up the beer, inside the cab was like happy hour and it wasunt bloody opning time.

 

[JCBrum]

There's a lesson to be learned from that story Mike, ....

I was in a pub one day when a chap came up to the bar and said " four pints of lager please barman."

The bartender duly put four pints of lager on the bar and the man paid. Then he picked up the first pint and downed it in one, immediately proceeded to the second and did the same, and then the third, and the fourth. All four pints downed in about sixty seconds !

Good Lord, I said to him, do you always drink that fast ?

Well yes, he said. Ever since I had my accident.

Accident ? I said, - what on earth happened to cause you to drink so fast ?

I knocked one of 'em over once, before I could get to it ! he said.

 

[Geoff]

Mike that must explain why bees dont like beer on a beekeeper's breath. It must be jealousy cause they have missed out.

 

[mikethebee]

THE BEER WAS FOR THE WASP TRAPS. the L/rover and i did stink for a few hours.
www.easybeeproducts.co.uk

 

[peteinwilts]

I have a stream by one of my and spring by the other.

For feeding I am being particually fussy. I have only been using Reverse Osmosis water in the food.
Our tap water contains so much crap, I would think that by the time the bees have evaporated the water down, the crap is left in a concentrated form in their food stores.
I would not know about concentrated amounts of Calcium, Magnesium etc, but I do worry about copper which is particually harmful to invertibrates.

Given a choice, a dog would rather drink rain water than tap water. A dog given a choice between rain water and RO would go for the RO every time.

... or do I read to much into this!?!

 

[David P]

or do I read to much into this!?!

At risk of reading too much into it myself, strikes me as odd that you worry about the water but apparently not the refined sugar.
If you're this concerned over the quality of the food the bees have why not just leave them with enough of the stores they have put by, just taking the excess for yourself.


David

 

[peteinwilts]

At risk of reading too much into it myself, strikes me as odd that you worry about the water but apparently not the refined sugar.
If you're this concerned over the quality of the food the bees have why not just leave them with enough of the stores they have put by, just taking the excess for yourself.


David

I had a new NUC and had queen issues a couple of months ago and it is still a weak colony.. hence feeding..

is it the calcium hydroxide or phosphoric acid used in the refining that is the issue with refined suger?

I am no expert in sugar manufacturing, but I do know a little about water. My local tapwater contains a large amount of Magnesium and Calcium, along with other chemicals including copper that leaches from the pipes... 380ppm of crap (not as bad as many bottled waters though!) + the gasses which I would have thought would disipate before getting to the bees anyway..

 

[wbchive]

A guy near here sells "Sewage Works Honey". It's labelled like that and it's for sale in the local delis and health food shops. Never cared to try it myself.

Steve