Water & honeybees

16 years ago

I need to know how much harm I am doing if any. I took a short cut this year and purchased a Burpee wicked seed growing tray. I originally was going to fill with distilled water with 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach. I ran out of the distilled water and ended up using another gallon of regular water. I then placed the tray inside my plastic greenhouse intending on moving it the next day. After a couple of days of rain I checked on it and discovered that the water was steaming. I started to lift and dump it and found that between 50-75 honeybees emerged from the tray holding the water.

I have never heard that bees liked warm water much less water warm enough that you could see steam coming from it. I have left it there since bees are still apparently drinking from the tray. My question, I think, are the bees coming for the warm/hot water, the chlorine bleach, and/or is it harmful to the bees to have access to the tray.

I normally have plastic cement mixing trays filled with water in my yard for whatever animal or bird that needs a drink but except when it has been over 100F the water is rarely warm much less hot.

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Comments (4)

roger33
16 years ago
Bees for some reason REALLY like to drink from swimming pools. I wouldn't be too concerned about them drinking city water.
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Original Author
16 years ago
It was not the water I was concerned about but the temperature of the water. I have pans of water set out for any creature in need but seeing the bees drinking from hot steaming water was my concern.

Your comment about swimming pools makes me wonder if they need addtional chlorine to function well.
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softmentor
16 years ago
I am certainly no expert, but as I understand it, bees use water to help cool the hive. If the water is hot, it's much less efficient to cool with, so they will send more bees to get more water. Try at least keeping the water in deep shade so it stays cooler.
Bees at my place get water from 2 places where the drip lines have a small trickle because the valves don't quite shut off completely. I've noticed that each of the 2 hives use a different watering spot.
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Original Author
16 years ago
There is cooler water that they have access to which is from rain runoff but they seem to like the warm better. I too understand that they use the water to cool the hive which is why I am puzzled that rather than the cooler water they are going for the hotter water.