Bee's water hole

[Schoon]

Hello, this is my first year keeping bees and I have a question. My bees have been getting their water from my bird bath. I go out every morning and rinse it out and put new water in. They have been using this all summer. The other day I notice that there are no bees getting water. For the past 3 or 4 days they have not been around the bird bath. Is this normal? I checked my hive and found some beetles but the rest of the hive seem normal. Thanks for the help.

[Natalie]

Maybe they found another local water source.
Is there any chance that the birdbath ran dry at one point?
My bird bath ran dry and the bees went 6 feet away to my neighbors birdbath.
Even though I refilled mine they ignored it for his, I ended up going over and dumping the water out of his and spiked mine with a little lemon grass oil and they are back to the old watering hole.
I know they like swimming pools, if they found one in the neighborhood they may have moved on to that, I hope not for your sake but I have been told it happens.
Other than that I am out of ideas, sorry. Good luck. :)

[Schoon]

Thanks Natalie.

[GJP]

I have three bird baths set-up this year and they have also been hitting the pool pump which has a small leak which I left for them.  We were gone last week on vacation and discovered the girls have abandoned the bird baths and have settled in on the pool ladder just like last year about this time.  I thought their supply had dried up last year and that they moved to the pool.  This year the sources they had been using are still very active but they still moved to the pool.  I use a salt system which they seem to really like.  I guess they are going to do what ever the heck they want to do!!!

Greg