Bee Waterer

**llama momma** 6/25/2016, 9:46 pm

I've seen bees unable to get out of the birdbath because it's too deep. Plenty of times I take the lid off my buckets of water only to return and find a floating bee trying to find its way out. Below is a very short article about bees and their need for water. You could add marbles and water to a dish, and the bees will have a nice landing place and not get stuck, drown, or worse be eaten by fish! Seems like a simple way to assist our bee friends.

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/make-bee-waterer-help-hydrate-pollinators.html
I went to Home Depot and found a 2 pound plastic jar of nice flat decorative marbles, called Crystal Gems.
Here is a picture from the article -
https://i.servimg.com/u/f35/17/92/94/49/bees10.jpg

Pollinator 6/25/2016, 11:57 pm

I put a big lump of clay in a pan and put it under the drip from the air conditioner. This not only gives water to the bees, but also provides mud for mason bees, potter wasps, mud daubers and organ pipe wasps - all beneficial friends of the gardener.

**Scorpio Rising** 6/26/2016, 9:58 am

I did that bee pan last year, but never saw anything in it....maybe my timing was just bad? It was cheap and easy...they have those marbles in the aquarium section at Walmart.

That is a great idea, pollinator! 2-fer for the benes!

**sanderson** 6/26/2016, 6:36 pm

Thank you for reminding us of the need for bees to have a safe source of water.

yolos 6/26/2016, 11:02 pm

sanderson wrote:Thank you for reminding us of the need for bees to have a safe source of water.

I set up a platter of water with rocks for the bees to land on and put it right near the bee hives. They really don't like that platter, they instead fly to the pool and drink the water that splahes out of a waterfall type stream. The water pools a little bit on the rocks and the bees are always around that spot. You would think they wouldn't like the water because it has salt added. thinking

**Scorpio Rising** 7/3/2016, 2:14 pm

I made this, pie dish and 2 bags of aquarium glass:

Put it next to the Walkers Low catmint and near milkweeds. Hope they like it. Used spring water.

**llama momma** 7/5/2016, 9:19 am

I placed the pie pan with flat marbles outside a few days ago. So of course it has rained plenty over the past few days. Haven't seen the bees use it.

countrynaturals 7/5/2016, 12:19 pm

llama momma wrote:I placed the pie pan with flat marbles outside a few days ago. So of course it has rained plenty over the past few days. Haven't seen the bees use it.

I've done it for butterflies and never saw them use it, either, but maybe, when I'm not watching . . . Wink

**llama momma** 7/5/2016, 12:59 pm

countrynaturals wrote:
llama momma wrote:I placed the pie pan with flat marbles outside a few days ago. So of course it has rained plenty over the past few days. Haven't seen the bees use it.
I've done it for butterflies and never saw them use it, either, but maybe, when I'm not watching . . .

Yes, that's what I'm hoping!

**Scorpio Rising** 7/5/2016, 9:25 pm

OK, I have an in-ground pool, and hate to fish dead bees out of it on a daily basis, and I do 2x/day surveillance.

So, did the bee watering pan. It is on the same side of the house as the pool. Had 4 dead floaters (bumbles) 2 days ago, 1 today. Rescued carpenter bee this PM. And out front in the perennial bed, I have a bird bath, where I found a dead bumble. HELP!

bounce

Where should the bee drinking thing be placed? I currently have it near my stoop, which gets shade after 11ish. I heard they like shady water?

For the out front bird bath, should I build a rock ramp? This guy was sturdy, I think he could have gotten out if he had a way..... pale

BeetlesPerSqFt 7/5/2016, 11:26 pm

I was reading on the internet about bee watering today. The gist of the impression I got before I had to get back to other stuff was that bees like:

1. a reliable water source -- and it's hard to get them to switch once they've picking something (I assume this is bee specific, rather than hive, but that current imbibers can recruit new-bees, such that several will be at one source. Theoretically, closer to the hive is preferred, but since my neighbors honeybees don't just drink from the creek on their doorstep, this alone clearly won't make them switch.
Bee Waterer 2636062189

2. a water source that has a smell so they can find it easily. "Dirty" water and pool water both smell. So does dripping water from a faucet or hose (chlorine -- This doesn't mean chlorine is good for them; I didn't research that.)

3. slight salty water -- this explains why they like water in my compost, particularly the sections I added Black Kow to.

For your bird feeder, sticks propped in the water to the rim/over the edge would probably give the bees a good way in and out, though it would likely interfere with the intended function of birds bathing.

For your pool - does there seem to be a particular location they are trying to drink at/from and slipping in at? I imagine by the time you find them they've floated nilly-willy; dedicated observation time would probably be needed. (Unless you had a video camera you could leave out, then you could watch a time-lapse Bee-movie.) Maybe you could put a ramp made of something thick enough to be bendable rust-proof screen/mesh just at that spot? (I've never owned a pool, and I'm not well versed in construction materials and their limitations, so this suggestion may well be lacking...)

yolos 7/6/2016, 9:48 am

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:
3. slight salty water -- this explains why they like water in my compost, particularly the sections I added Black Kow to.

This explains why they hang around the pool all day. It is a salt based pool rather than chlorine based.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/6/2016, 6:55 pm

OK, thanks for the input. I am going to put a bird shaped rock in the birdbath out front, bugs should be able to grab it and get out. Maybe 2. The bath part is less what I see them doing; most of the birds are drinking.

Poolside: I have been using bottled spring water....maybe I will try adding a pinch of salt? To my city water? And leave it near the milkweeds....away from the pool a bit.

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