The same as any other water feeder, you will need to make sure the water is topped up and changed regularly. In recent years, many growers have brought special attention to the needs of bees. Included in this are their need for shelter, nectar, and the often-overlooked need for water. Honeybee Bath Info The inclusion of a bee bath for gardens is an excellent way to ensure bee needs are being met throughout the growing season. Initially, some may find the concept of a honeybee bath to be somewhat silly.

However, bees don’t just need water to stay hydrated. Having an available water source is important for many reasons to our bees, such as: Rainwater is best for your bee bath as it is natural and free from any additives that may be present in our drinking water. If you can’t source rainwater or your area is going through a drought period, you can use good quality filtered water.Bee baths also offer bees a chance to cool down. In the blistering summer heat, bees can become dangerously overheated and seek water to help them cool off. This is why you will see bees hanging around your pool or other bodies of water.

Creating a bee-friendly garden means more than just planting flowers. You certainly want to attract them with gorgeous blooms, but while they are in your garden you will want to give them a place to collect water: a pond, fountain, or a bee bath. A bee bath is a simple bee water feeder that is easy to make and care for in your home garden, and it’s a nice touch to set out for your pollinating guests. After all, without those busy workers in the garden, you wouldn’t have as many beautiful blooms or fresh vegetables and fruit to harvest. Sadly, when bees try to forage for water from bird baths or pools, they risk drowning. Bees aren’t allowed to take swimming classes at the YMCA (a discussion for another time), so even a shallow bird bath can easily lead a bee to drown. By placing a shallow water source away from these areas you can reduce the number of bees accidentally falling into water sources they can’t get out of. Creating A Bee Bath For Your Garden Beekeepers know the importance of having water available for bees. They collect water for a variety of reasons:These materials won’t be worn away in the water and they provide a solid and stable perch for thirsty bees. The more you can fill your container with these materials, the better but make sure they make up a single layer rather than piling them on top of one another. Once it has been determined that the garden bee bath is a reliable source of water, these flying insects will return with frequency. In deciding how to make a bee bath, the options are limitless. Bee bath ideas abound online but can be easily customized to fit the unique needs of your own garden. This is a great project for kids to help out with, because the only guidelines are to make sure it is shallow and that you put in climbing apparatus for the bees. Watch garden guru Chris H. Olsen walk viewers through a simple bee bath tutorial on YouTube.

We have been having a lot of fun exploring bees this summer. Creating a bee bath for our garden is a simple and fun activity to do with the kids. Anything we can do to help pollinators survive and thrive makes a wonderful addition to any garden. So, what is a bee bath? Another item you need that you may already have is a heavy plant pot. This is what your shallow dish will stand on. Alternatively, if you have a secure place, off the ground where your bee bath can go you won’t need the plant pot. By having a bee bath available, you will be supporting these hard-working bees and giving them the rest and refreshment they need as they go about their work. What Goes In A Bee Bath?As their numbers dramatically reduce across the planet, it is up to us to do everything we can to make this new world more hospitable for our bee friends. Now it is time to fill your container with water. Make sure the water doesn’t fully cover the materials you have filed your container with. Bees can drown in less than an inch of water, so if there is a lot of exposed water in your container don’t fill it any more than 1/2 an inch deep. to dilute honey– bees use water to manage the consistency of honey and thin out honey that has crystallized, and to feed the babies– the nurse bees that feed the larvae need plenty of water to create the right baby food (royal jelly). to keep the hive cool – these smart little creatures will add water to the hive and fan it with their wings, air-conditioning the space by cooling it down,

Lastly, the most important ingredient is fresh water. If you can use rainwater, that is best, but avoid tap water unless necessary. How To Set Up Your Bee Bath? Choose a spot in the garden where it is protected and shady. Set a plant pot upside down to use as a base. Set a shallow dish on top of the pot. Choose a dish that is water safe like glass or ceramic, as plastics and metals may leach into the water. Add a few river stones into the dish. Add just enough water that the tops of the stones are not submerged. Change water daily and clean the bee bath weekly. First, you will want to source a shallow dish. You can choose any shallow container you have on hand. It can be made from plastic, clay, glass, or any other material that will hold water without allowing it to drain away.Bees are an important part of a healthy and thriving garden. Without them, many of our most beautiful plants would wither and die. A bee bath is a safe source of water for bees. The water needs to be shallow, so the bees won’t drown. The bee bath needs to be in a sunny, sheltered spot – that bees will want to visit. How to Make an Easy Bee Bath