I have my hive located about 150 yards from my pool. I also have a two acre pond just 50 yards in front of the hive. My neighbors pond is 75 yards behind the hive. My bees prefer the pool. Is there someway to make the pond more attractive to them for water? Would some type of man made landing area on the pond work? I thought about putting another waterer near the hive that I could just refill. I have had to move the hive once already and hope that there would be a solution this time to prevent having to move them again.
My experience is that the bees will get water from all availablr sources. At my place that includes the water trough in the goat pen, the waterers in the pigeon, chicken, and rabbit pens, the creek through the back yard and the retention pond a block away. Since I also see bees getting water at the lake from which the creek flows (1/2 mile) I would assume they get it there too.
If you want to keep bees out of your pool, cover it good or drain it.
I read somewhere that the bees are attracted to the chlorine in the pool. I'm not sure if that's true, but if it is, it seems like the only thing you can do is take the chlorine out of your pool or chlorinate your pond. I know you can use a saline solution in pools instead of chlorine. Maybe that would work.
~Amanda
Yup, it's the chlorine. When are pool is covered, the bees will go thru the hole in the skimmer to get the pool water instead of the water on top of the cover.
If your worried about them around the pool, you can try to use a bucket or other water station closer to the hives and just put some chlorox in it.
It is a saline pool. Everything is the same except the salinity is about 3500 parts per million. It still has the chlorine. They may be after the salt also.
It may be too late this year, but providing the closer water source before the pool is open and baiting it with honey-b-healthy could get them to prefer that over the pool. I keep a dog waterer on my deck about 10 yards from my hives, both of my next door neighbors have pools, and haven't said anything about bees being a problem. I did find that when I had the waterer 5 feet from the hives, the bees ignored it completely.
My bee waterer (aka pet waterer) is about 100 yards from the hives. They are all over it. Very seldom do I find any around the pool.
I use one of those white plastic with a red bottom and a black screw on top chicken waterers.
Its right out in front of my apiary where all the hives can get to it, and they do. It holds about 3 gallons I think. I usually fill it up once a week. I also have a pond with a waterfall right out front of my house and the bees use this too! The stand on the edges of the lillypads and drink. Theres one more place on my deck that they get water from and thats a planter. They go in under the drip-lip at the corner of the planter. My new neighbors told me the other day that the bees were NOT getting into their pool, and they live about 100 yards away. Last year I had a pool and the bees , for the most part, stayed out. Only a few were in there the same time I was in it! I'd walk around in there, save a bee, flick it out, then do it all over again!
your friend,
john