Pools and Bees

[MrILoveTheAnts]

This isn't an issue for me but I fail to see how it's our problem. Someone suggested they like the taste of the chlorine but I don't think this is true. When collecting nocturnal flying ants I'll set up a white sheet and illuminate it with either a spot light or a black light. In no time at all this attracts everything that's flying that night. When one of my hives can view this they actually fly out to it too.
During the day light hours I get a similar effect with "hot colored" objects. This includes certain cars in parking lots, certain types of plastic toys; I can even site a case where a beer company had to change the color of their bright orange glass bottles because they were attracting male beetles to them by the dozens, they would actually land on the bottle and start spreading their "fluid" on the glass.

Weather the insect is being attracted out of finding a mate or they just think they've found a giant blue flower, it's the intensity of the color attracting them. I will only believe chlorine is the reason after I've seen a similar number of bees surrounding a pool with a much darker finish. There are others colors the pool owner could have gone with besides the Ultraviolet Blue, and bees are certainly the least of what's being attracted to it.

[JP]

They are attracted to scent and chlorine has a scent, I've seen bees go to pools but not as often as you'd think. One of my neighbors has a fountain and small fish pond and when it gets slimy the bees show up.

Cindi's bees like the filthy duck water where they crap and all, she says, they like it the dirtier the better.


...JP

[MrILoveTheAnts]

They are attracted to scent and chlorine has a scent, I've seen bees go to pools but not as often as you'd think. One of my neighbors has a fountain and small fish pond and when it gets slimy the bees show up.

Cindi's bees like the filthy duck water where they crap and all, she says, they like it the dirtier the better.


...JP

Why do we let our bees drink again? That's the most disgusting thing I've ever herd.

[tillie]

Mine pick the yucky standing water in the gutters or the standing, fermenting water in a poorly draining flower pot filled with dirt over the beautiful water source I made for them :-P :-P :-P :-P

Linda T in Atlanta

[crowhammer]

Mine fly right past the water bucket I put 5 feet from their hive, to get water from god only knows where. The bee inspector told me to put out a kiddy pool.

[Brian D. Bray]

Mine fly right past the water bucket I put 5 feet from their hive, to get water from god only knows where. The bee inspector told me to put out a kiddy pool.

The bees will still get water where and when they want.  The mud puddles have a few after a rain.

[Moonshae]

I filled a dog auto-waterer, and put it on my deck. I filled it with sand, mud, and rocks, and the bees love it, especially once the water gets stagnant and stinky. I've used HBH to keep the stinky under control and keep the bowl attractive to the bees, and it works pretty well. Both my next door neighbors have kids and pools, so...I'd much rather see the bees on my deck!

After the rain, they're everywhere, sucking up every puddle and drop they can get. They find water in the cracks where the deck furniture sits on the deck.

[annette]

The bees filter out the dirt very efficiently, so they are not really drinking anything bad.

[poka-bee]

Mine have found my pond.  They are able to light on the green goo in the shallows & drink.  They LOVE the granite slurry :-P When we are working w/water they come & drink.  I'm sure there are some micro-nutrients in that stuff!  Jody

[sarafina]

Mine finally found the small pond we put in for them.....  Well, for us, too  :-D

They seem especially attracted to the bright green fluorescent piece of slag glass we brought back from Arkansas - they are always hanging around that spot to drink and it seems like their favorite splace to land.



There is water dripping around the piece of glass on the rock.