Bee Water Marbles

Building a bee waterer to water honeybees pour marbles into a pie pan and fill it with water.

Bee water marbles.

Foragers seem to seek water sources that are scented flottum says. A bee bath is a simple bee water feeder that is easy to make and care for in your home garden and it s a nice touch to set out for your pollinating guests. Building a bee waterer. Once bees discover the source of water they ll visit throughout the day but prime bee watching occurs just before sundown as bees take their last drink before returning to the hive for the night.

A bee water feature. After all without those busy workers in the garden you wouldn t have as many beautiful blooms or fresh vegetables and fruit to harvest. The marbles give the bees a spot to land so they don t drown when they come to drink. Bees work hard this time of year and need available sources of water to rehydrate.

Add some small rocks or marbles to fill the bottom and put some flat stones or similar objects to provide a platform where they can sit or stand while they take a drink. Equally good is a bucket of water with plenty of bee rafts these can be corks sticks sponges or packing peanuts anything that floats. Finally i discovered another water option when we added a bee hive to our garden this year. I ve seen only 1 dead bee in the water after 4 months or so since we change the water every couple days there.

They also may like water with algae and floaters for the same reason. So my guess is that clear marbles wouldn t make much difference. The honeybees drink from the rubber chicken water bowls. The rough sides are just right for getting down to the water without falling in.

To help hydrate our little pollinators set up a water feeder by filling a pie pan with marbles and then water. In fact some think that is why they are attracted to pools because they can smell the chlorine and or salt. Bees know exactly where to return for the same water source. As for river and lakes bees risk their lives trying to get water in the presence of fishes frogs and other wildlife not to mention the risk of being swept away in water currents.

A saucer filled with marbles or stones makes an excellent diy watering station for bees. It is my understanding that honey bees detect water sources by smell rather than by sight. They get this water from places like bird baths rivers and streams and open pools of water but they risk drowning.