Summer weather
I’ve been reading long-term weather predictions and it looks like parts of our country are due for a long, hot summer. It will be hot for our bees, too. I suppose that I can write that every living organism requires water in some form. Honey bees’ requirements seem to be driven by two water needs: (1) internal hive temperature and humidity regulation, and (2) a component of the bee diet (both immature and adult).
Where they collect their water
Bees establish water collection sites long before beekeepers notice any hint of water shortages. In fact, water may not be in short supply. Bees will find any water source that is nearby. Usually this is a stream, pond or some other common water supply.
However, on many occasions I have had to deal with beekeepers and homeowners who had problems with bees collecting water from the neighbor’s swimming pool, bird feeder, or recently watered plants. It’s difficult to change bees’ collecting behavior once it has been learned. Normally, a swimming pool is large, dependable, and has an odor. If the beekeeper tries to provide water in containers near the colony in hopes of enticing the water collectors to change from the pool in the neighbor’s yard, the chances for failure are excellent.
Unfortunately, the reason for failure is failing to keep the supply dependable and available. If the beekeeper only fills a water dispenser once a week, leaving it empty the remainder of the time, the bees have no choice but to find other sources. By that time, the bees are a chronic problem at the pool.
Can it get worse? Yes, it can. While collecting at the pool, they will probably stand on the pool ladders or other equipment that extends into the water. Obviously, stings are more common as swimmers climb from the pool.
Not infrequently, a homeowner is concerned that bees will attack birds that are drinking and washing in a birdbath. Complaints are the result. I don’t know of any incidence of an individual bee attacking a bird at a birdbath, but no doubt the birds are not happy with the intrusion.
Somewhat related, bees will unabashedly collect water from some despicable sources, causing concern for the beekeeper selling honey as the purest of nature’s products. On many occasions, I have seen bees collecting water from feedlot runoff. Nor is it uncommon to see bees “happily” collecting water from the hoof indentations in the soil at a swine facility. No doubt, some of this foraging is for minerals and salts, and water is only being used as a carrier.
Thank heavens, honey has a fantastic system for safeguarding against such detritus and no harm is done, due to its low moisture content and natural hydrogen peroxide. Still, to watch bees collect water from such offensive sources is concerning. To feel better about the situation, the beekeeper may want to offer an alternative water source …
