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Author Topic: water  (Read 3267 times)

Offline bcooper

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water
« on: February 23, 2012, 02:09:31 pm »
Do Bees keep water in their hives?

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: water
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2012, 03:29:41 pm »
The hive and the honey bee would be a great book to buy to learn about the bees its a great start.  As for your question the bees use water for several reasons.  They use the water to raise brood (baby bees) and  to cool the hive when its hot out or if you give them dry sugar they will use the water to liquify the sugar.  Chris

Offline BlueBee

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Re: water
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2012, 07:29:37 pm »
Good question bcooper!  We know what bees do with water, but do they store it in the hive?

I can’t say I’ve ever noticed cells filled with water, but maybe I haven’t been observant enough.  I have read books that claim the field bees collect water and put it in cells.  Rather that is true or not, I don’t know.  I have feed my bees water inside the hive before and it disappeared.  I assumed they consumed it for brood, dilution, or cooling as needed, but maybe they moved it to cells for storage instead.  Anybody know?

Offline Hemlock

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Re: water
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2012, 08:49:27 pm »
Don't know for sure but it seems that bees use water as a tool more than a stored reserve.  Plus moister & condensation in a hive already serve as a storage bank for water; especially in winter.
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Offline backyard warrior

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Re: water
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2012, 09:33:05 pm »
As we all know when there is a flow on there is plenty of water for brood the reason being  the necatar is full of uneccessary water and the bees have to evaporate it down into honey so the moisture and water is already there

Offline Old Blue

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Re: water
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2012, 11:27:29 pm »
I don't know.  Good question.

Welcome to beemaster, this is a great place to hang out and learn and make some new friends.

Often the best info folks can give comes from those near your location.  Most put it into their profile when they get a chance.  I hope to learn something new to me from your question.

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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: water
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2012, 08:14:40 am »
Whenever I'm forced to lock down a hive for an extended period (for example, when it is being robbed) I pour water into a frame of comb so they have a source when they can't leave the hive.  They don't require much water but when they need it it's important.
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline Finski

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Re: water
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2012, 04:58:22 pm »
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As far as I know, bees try to keep their hives dry. It happens via relative moisture. Hive is warmer than outside and so it dryes up.

And why? Honey is hygroscopic and it sucks moisture through the cap.  

When I have drinking pools for bees, I see when they need water. When nectar flow is good, they do not visit on drinking pools.

That is strange what I found some years ago:

- when I gove extracted combs, bees start to fly like mad. I thought that they went to look for robbing place.

- but when I started to spray water mist onto extracted combs before putting them in,  bees did not come out.

I spread combs on yard and spray them with garden hose with fine mist.

 ---> extracted honey made them very thirsty and bees rusched out to get water. It is same when I hive too strong sugar syrup.

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Offline Old Blue

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Re: water
« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2012, 11:33:11 pm »
Good observation Finski.  When I put extracted frames back in my hives they did the same thing and it made me wonder if it had set off robbing.  I think your explanation is is much more likely.

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Online Michael Bush

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Re: water
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2012, 01:17:20 am »
They haul a lot of water in the heat of the summer... but I never see cells that appear full of water...
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Offline Finski

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Re: water
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2012, 02:59:04 am »
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When I feed pollen patty in Spring and bees do not get nectar yet from willows, bees have a huge need of water.

They forage water 4 hours  in the morning. They fly only in the sunshine.
They start the foraging even if the temp is +2C. It needs sunshine.

They are thousands of sucking in the morning dew from plants.

Once I had snow in ground one week. Bees cannot suck water from snow. All larvae died in hives in that one week thirst.

When I started patty feeding 20 years ago, I noticed at once that if bees do not get water outside, the larvae will become sick and the hive gets chalk brood.  So I can start patty feeding only when there are bare ground enoug in my yeard. That happens almost every year on in the second week of April.
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