200 yards to the north of where my bees are located is a spring fed pond. It, however, has a decent amount of trees all around it (I'd say 10-15yards worth of trees to go through). I am curious if I should setup my own water source for the bees or let them gather it from the pond. Now, one thing I do not know is across the street from me are houses and they would be about 200 yards away as well. I am unsure if there are any bird baths out over there, so it is possible that the pond is not the closest water source.
I'd like the bees to do things as naturally as possible, but I do want to promote a strong hive as well, so if making a water source closer means less bees have to be out gathering water then I am not against watering.
If I should water, any suggestions on a low maintenance watering source? The hives are about 100 yards from my home and an easy path with my garden wagon to carry water. I don't want to get into any type of automated water supply out there.
Thanks for any tips,
Jeremy
That should not be a problem at all, but don't be surprised if they don't just go to the ditch out front or the local garden hose either :-D
I figure anything within a quarter mile will do. But closer won't hurt.
The more bees carrying water around means less bees carrying pollen and nectar around.
I have a chicken waterer I use for my bees...However.....I have a few leaky PVC valves what leak up on my deck which the bees are always getting water from...I also have a decorative pond with moving water and lilypads and the bees use that for water too
It sure cant hurt to help them with water.
One other thing...My buddy Paul had one hive last year...He decided he wanted his bees to be tuff and not be sissy bees....He didnt check on them much and only fed them if i told him to. By the end of summer his bees all had left his house and, most likely, came over to my place.( Sort of like his dog!) Just thot I'd throw that tidbit out there :)
your friend,
john
My bees get water from several sources: the creek through the property, the chicken waterer, the pigeon waterers, the trough for the goats and sheep, the lake 1/4 mile up the road, and the retention pond from the housing development on the hill behind me. I've found that you can provided the bees with water at their doorstep and they'll still get it where they want to. None of the water sites have heavy people traffic so it's not a big deal.
At my old house were I started my beehive, I had 2 creeks within 200 yards of the house. I wasn't sure if that was close enought, so I kept a buck of water near the hive with plenty of sticks floating in it.
The bees hardly ever used it. I visited my hive everyday and there was seldom a bee in there. It would just get full of mosquito's so I finally stopped using it. I think they used the creeks.
You can always set up an old concrete bird bath and keep it full of water. They will love that!
Throw a bunch of leaves or straw in it and they will love it even better!
The water source I have for my bees is a pond that is about 200 yards from the hives. They go to it and have been just fine. They also find occasional creeks around the property.
I had water dishes 15 feet from the hive and they only started going to it recently. I switched over to a wine barrel and they still went to it. They opened the headgates to a canal half a block away and the bees stopped going to the barrel. not sure where they are going but they are not at teh barrel any more.
Like Jeremy, I was concerned because my nearest water source of any kind is fully 300 yds away, the evaporation pond for the private sewer system for our development. I'm reassured by the responses above. I've not heard, since the hive bees don't leave the hive, how do they get water? From the syrup or nectar? Is it transferred to them as nectar is by the foraging field bees?
Thanks!
David Edwards
I have a bird bath that my bees use. Seem they like it.
Foragers gather the water.
I have a bird bath filled with water, chicken waterers, dog bowls are always filled and a boardman feeder filled with water all within anywhere from 1 foot to 50 feet from the hives and I have never seen one single bee visit any of them.
I have no idea where they get their water from.
200 yards. is no problem down here. I have a pond, canals (when no drought), and a marsh. Last year I had a concrete bird bath that put near the hives at my house. They still insisted on a cat food can that I kept in my squirrel feeder next to my back door. Took two weeks of leaving it dry to get them to quit checking it. Never touched the bird bath.
I have a lake 1/4 mile away, a retention pond a block away, a creek running through my back yard, and waterers for the chickens, pigeons, and goats. I've seen my bees on all of them gathering water. I would say that your bees are doing the same, just not the source you look at at the time you look.
I took an old satelite dish and dug a little divit in the dirt. filled it with peat, added water and the bees go there all the time, its only 40 feet away from the hives. but they also take water from the top of a barrel that sits out back as well. they like the top just covered with water. I fill the dish every couple days , or less when it rains.