Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: icra on March 03, 2005, 04:34:19 pm

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: icra on March 03, 2005, 04:34:19 pm

Can you tell me what kind of  trough (a plasterer's hod)  do you yous in your bee- courtyard?

(can you post some pics?)

Tnks :?:

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: Lesli on March 03, 2005, 06:37:06 pm

I use an old dog food bowl :) I'm not sure my bees need a source of water, since there are a few natural ones nearby, but I put it out there just in case.

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: Robo on March 03, 2005, 09:24:50 pm

I use to use a dogloo 3 gallon water dish with sand in it with some bleach added to the water.

(http://robo.hydroville.com/albums/Misc/DCP_0005_002.thumb.jpg) (http://robo.hydroville.com/html/modules.php?set_albumName=Misc&id=DCP_0005_002&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)
click image for larger view

This picture was taken after a few days of rain, so the water level was above the sand (hence the dead bees)

Now that I grow tomatoes hydroponically, I no longer use the dogloo.  The bees now drink from the tomatoe buckets.

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: Beth Kirkley on March 03, 2005, 09:27:16 pm

We have a pond on our property, but I think the bees mostly use a couple of drainage pipes right near the hives. I've seen them there anyway. My father in law also just put in a pool this winter. I did see a few bees dead in there during the first few weeks of installation. But that's been a couple months ago now.

Beth

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: asleitch on March 04, 2005, 04:32:04 am

I just left a small bucket out all year, its now full of yucky black water, but the bees seem to like it.

Adam

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: eivindm on March 04, 2005, 05:53:31 am

I read a tip in a Norwegian beekeeping magazine:  If you use a bowl with water, you could put some cloth on top "floating" on the water.  The bees will then have somewhere to stand while sucking the water and are not so likely to drown. Using some floating wood under the cloth will help if it sinks too low.

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: icra on March 04, 2005, 08:30:42 am

Quote from: eivindm

 If you use a bowl with water, you could put some cloth on top "floating" on the water.  The bees will then have somewhere to stand while sucking the water and are not so likely to drown. Using some floating wood under the cloth will help if it sinks too low.

It is very true and you have to put a little salt in the water!

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: Horns Pure Honey on March 04, 2005, 08:38:39 am

I got this idea from a bee keeper. He and I both have large cattle watter tanks that auto refill so he said just put a piece of 2x4 in it and the bees will land on it to drink. He also said the bees dont bother the cows and the cows dont bother the bees. Bye :D

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: icra on March 04, 2005, 09:03:50 am

Here is what the beekeepers from my contry use (sorry because i dont have a photo, but i've made a painting )

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid160/p033ab795ed1d03d9974e4c1182b259dc/f4f0691e.jpg)

The water from the barrel is flowing very slow. :idea:

Title: Water for the bees
Post by: Anonymous on March 04, 2005, 09:29:22 am

:)  I like the water barrel Idea. I'd put it under one of my eve troughs to get filled up every time it rains and it would still be close to the house to be filled with a hose when we don't get rain. I saw a simular set up for watering gardens.
I use a 2 gallon rubber dish with small rocks in it set 8 feet fron my row of hives. Works real well since the girls have trhe rocks as a perch to stand on, they don't drown.


(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid131/p6ff9658b67bb4b10c39072c69e72c982/f7afc8b0.jpg)

 :D Al

Title: Re: Water for the bees
Post by: adamant on July 03, 2011, 06:46:35 am

i bought a 10 dollar plastic bird bath..

Title: Re: Water for the bees
Post by: twintrades on July 03, 2011, 06:03:34 pm

I gotter easy I live on a lake. No problems there. Others use a chicken waterer 10 bucks from the local feed store.

Title: Re: Water for the bees
Post by: kbenz on July 03, 2011, 09:56:40 pm

I use a 1 gallon bucket with a couple sticks in it. they seem to use them pretty heavy

Title: Re: Water for the bees
Post by: joebrown on July 24, 2011, 12:12:31 am

Brushy Mountain was selling Bee Aquafiers but they are now in their bargain barn. It was basically a plastic container, you fill it with water, place some floats in it (pool noodle cut into 1" or so sections), thin silk type cloth draps over the container and rests on the noodle sections, and if you have a lid you can cut a big hole in the lid and snap it over the cloth that way the cloth does not fall into the container. It was called Eli's Bee Aquafier. I thought the cut up pool noodle was pretty neat idea!

Title: Re: Water for the bees
Post by: BlueBee on July 24, 2011, 12:26:44 am

Many of these ideas are standing water which is likely to breed mosquitoes and/or algae and slime. 

I use a 1 gallon per hour dripper connected to a hose.  The dripper is between the rocks in the photo.  The dripper is set on top of a flat of planting peat moss.  Excess water drips out the bottom of the flat, onto the ground, and waters surrounding plants.  Nothing is wasted, no algae, no slime, no mosquitoes, and no objectionable smell that a human can smell.  The smell of the peat moss seems to attract the bees though. 

(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j365/MichiganBee/Bee%20Equipement/WaterSystem.jpg)