Making water holes for honey bees…

I am a first year keeper and think it is worth mentioning what has been working for me and what it seems the bees prefer…

1st: I bought a bird bath… filled it with rocks… and tapped it into my drip irrigation system under the 25gal potted fig tree hedgerow out in the garden. I have NEVER seen a bee of any sort on it.

2nd: The bees have spent all Summer drinking from the muddy spaces between the beds… and puddles in the ditch when they are there.

3rd: The Bess have also been drinking even more aggressively from the small spare chicken waterers under the back deck/on the lower patio. The little chicken waterers keep the water at the perfect level for them to hang a foot in the ledge and hang down to have a drink.

Looks like cheapness wins this time. Those chicken waterers are only a few bucks and much easier to manage since they only rarely need water added vs the bird bath that needs it daily… and is harder to clean out.

BONUS!!! These could be external feeding stations (Dearth periods)as well… but without the mess.

#2 mud holes

We have found that most wildlife prefers natural sources best.

Example: we have a water tank though the deer prefer the puddle of water at the bottom of the empty pond.

#3

waterers under the back deck/on the lower patio.

I bet that they prefer that source since it is in the shade or shady and the water might be cooler.

Anne Miller wrote:#2 mud holes

We have found that most wildlife prefers natural sources best.

Example: we have a water tank though the deer prefer the puddle of water at the bottom of the empty pond.

#3

waterers under the back deck/on the lower patio.

I bet that they prefer that source since it is in the shade or shady and the water might be cooler.

I hear that with deer and mineral/salt points as well. Rather than lick a salt/mineral block directly... they would rather eat the soil or stump that it is melting into. If a block is melted into an old hardwood stump... they will come back for years to eat away at the wood for that salt. All manner of critters will visit that stump day and night.

I bet the healthy/alive soil that the water is in is good for either adding minerals to their diet... or good for their gut biome or something.

Now that you mention it... I do tend to see more bees in the garden in the morning/evening... and more under the porch once the sun comes one strong around 10AM. I bet you are correct about them wanting cooler water. I would be too if I were them.