Water

[Clemcook]

Hey guys

Where in your experience have you left water for the bees and what means have you used? Previous occasions I'm sure my efforts have been ignored, however they now live in a field and not my garden so I can't imagine it's as easy for them to find

Thanks
Clem x

 

[Millet]

They can find Oil Seed Rape upto three miles away so i am sure they will manage to find water easily in a three mile radius of your apiary site..

 

[B+.]

Hey guys

Where in your experience have you left water for the bees and what means have you used? Previous occasions I'm sure my efforts have been ignored, however they now live in a field and not my garden so I can't imagine it's as easy for them to find

Thanks
Clem x

My apiaries usually have hedge around with a ditch on the leeward side. There are numerous springs in the area which seem to feed into them all year around, so, the bees seem to have no problem finding water.
I once placed a water feeder in one of my apiaries with corks from wine bottles as a place for the bees to alight and drink. They did use it, along with other wildlife.

 

[taurus]

I provide three sources of water for them. Apart from one they ignore them completely and go further afield. A neighbour tells me they see loads of bees drinking from their pond - whether they are mine or not who knows. But they seem to be pretty good at finding water wherever suits them best. Usually the dirtiest source they can find.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I find my girls collect water of the top of pots. I have to water every morning and night time. I've also got upturned bin lids with gravel in dotted about. Ive tried feeders even putting a small amount of sugar in the water. They still prefer the compost in the pots ! There gardeners also lol.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Never leave water for the bees - plenty of it all around, they can get it for themselves

 

[enrico]

They prefer warm water from fermenting weedy ponds, warm compost, and smelly drains!
E

 

[Beefriendly]

They prefer warm water from fermenting weedy ponds, warm compost, and smelly drains!
E

I've always thought that smelly sources of water are easier for the bees to communicate to other bees where they are. As they can pass on the "smell", distnace and direction, similar to passing on flower "smell" on waggle dances. Good quality water has very little odour.
Probably totally off the mark, but just my thoughts.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Never leave water for the bees - plenty of it all around, they can get it for themselves

Why not leave water for them plenty of beeks do. I know there's lots of it about pools springs ect . we feed them sugar what's the difference I'm on spring water up here .

 

[colinc]

Why not leave water for them plenty of beeks do. I know there's lots of it about pools springs ect . we feed them sugar what's the difference I'm on spring water up here .

I think that the “I have....” is missing from the front of the sentence.

I don’t bother either, small ditch 50-100yds away from the hives. Try to avoid them drinking from the hose by the kitchen step if so can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why not leave water for them.

because it's pointless - we don't live in a desert.they're quite capable of finding their own.

 

[pargyle]

Mine drink from the wildlife pond in the garden. There's a lot of loostrife around it and they suck up the moisture from the old brown cut stems and the moss that is around it. They also drnk from the water that collects in the leaf/stem joints in the patch of teasels I grow next to the apiary. If they need it they will find it ...

 

[Millet]

We have three ponds all linked with waterfalls, the bees never bother with them even though they are within 50 yards from the hives, not far from the bees is a wet patch on a fence line not far from a stream, you could walk across it in slippers and not get wet but the bees love it, i see hundreds on the damp ground regularly sucking up water, i may get a picture one day..

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

I was offered a birdbath so put some water in it and some big stones to stop birds from using it. I figured it couldn't hurt

 

[Millet]

I was offered a birdbath so put some water in it and some big stones to stop birds from using it. I figured it couldn't hurt

It will not hurt , you are trying to help so that gets my vote, buy a bag of good compost an pour it into a 1mtr x 1mtr tray, water it lightly and let the dog's piss on it.