More about bees and water

@JudyEv (325758)
Rockingham, Australia
November 25, 2020 8:07am CST
After posting the photo of bees in our birdbath, someone asked how much do bees drink. It seems bees drink their weight in water each day. Searching for and collecting water is one of the main duties of worker bees. A well-developed hive may need over a quart of water on a hot day. This would take 800 worker bees up to 50 trips to a water source each day. Optimal temperature for a beehive is 35C. Water is used for evaporative cooling in hives with workers spreading a thin film of water over cells then beating their wings to create an airflow inside the hive. Another article spoke of the danger of bees drowning while trying to collect water. Perhaps we’ll put a few extra rocks in the bird/bee bath tomorrow. Photo is Vince's.
23 people like this
22 responses
Anna
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
25 Nov 20
I love this photo, I always put some rocks in the bird bath, because I noticed that birds like to go on top of them to drink water, this also helps the bees.
3 people like this
Anna
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv I always place sticks in the water basins so that lizards can get out if they fall inside.
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
@LadyDuck That's a good idea. Very thoughtful.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
The rocks are a good idea. We have a log in each of the big stock troughs so that birds can climb their way out if they fall in.
3 people like this
crazyhorseladycx
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
25 Nov 20
oh wowzers! mr. vince sure got loads 'f detail 'f this sweet lil bee! he's gonna need to share his 'secrets' fer such, lol. yepperz, i'd read they same. 'm thinkin' with arid 'n hot climes such'd perhaps need more water? i put water'n the tops 'f the hummer feeders (to prevent ants) 'n find bees, wasps 'n butterflies drink such, too. 'tis a good idea to put 'em some rocks. thankfully the pond 'tis mostly covered'n waterlily pads durin' summer 'n they jest line'p all 'round. 've 'd a few drowned though, bless 'em.
3 people like this
crazyhorseladycx
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv yepperz, does help with such. 'nfortunately 't seems that moths aint that smart to use 'em? i net out many 'f the poor dears. that's fabulous! i keep sayin' one day i'm gonna gimme a macro lens fer the big canon. 'f course such's 'bout 11yrs young 'n i procrastinate. perhaps i should send said camera with the hubs his next huntin' trip? he damaged my other 'n replaced't with such, lol.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
The article suggested waterlilies to help stop drownings. Vince is often out taking photos of bees. One of the guys on a photo site takes incredible photos of spiders and other insects and I think that has sparked Vince's interest.
3 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (62131)
• United States
26 Nov 20
WOW, that's a lot of water. That must be a heavy beehive! But what cool information to discover!!! I'm so glad you asked what was wrong!!!!!
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
I had no idea water was so important to them. I'll forgive them now for ousting out the birds.
2 people like this
Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (95187)
• Marion, Ohio
25 Nov 20
Rocks can help a lot. I find bees on my water hyacinth's in the summer. They crawled there to dry after falling in the pond
3 people like this
Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (95187)
• Marion, Ohio
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv They do like them.
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
The article suggested waterlilies or other water plants as places where they could land and be safe as they drank.
3 people like this
Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (17849)
• London, England
25 Nov 20
Wow, that is quite incredible. Know bees were busy, but that is a lot of work
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
It is, isn't it? I had no idea about their need for water. I'm wondering now how close their hive is. It would be out in the bush somewhere.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
@Ronrybs Possibly water is more easily available in the UK although I know you have hot weather and dry spells too.
1 person likes this
Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (17849)
• London, England
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv Think I shall have to ponder putting out a water source for the busy little buzzers
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LindaOH
@LindaOHio (156157)
• United States
25 Nov 20
Outstanding photo. Thanks for the info on bees and water.
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
I didn't know about their need for water. I'll look on them a bit more kindly now. I think they deter the birds from coming in but the birds have water at the front of the house. That one, for some reason, doesn't seem to attract quite so many bees.
2 people like this
Torunn
@Torunn (8609)
• Norway
25 Nov 20
Brilliant shot! There's always lot of drowned or drowning insects in my horses water buckets in the summer. I save the ones that are just drowning, but it's often too late.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
Vince has been practising taking bee shots. Someone on one of his photo sites takes incredible shots of spiders so that has been a motivation.
2 people like this
Torunn
@Torunn (8609)
• Norway
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv I follow some macrophotographers on instagram, there's some really great pictures there. I love taking pictures of insects myself, but I don't have a good enough macro lens so I end up using the telephoto lens and it can get a bit wobbly. But praciticing is important for macro, it's a lot of technical skill involved.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
@Torunn I think Vince's friend has good gear. His macro shots are incredible.
1 person likes this
rebelann1949
@rebelann (111174)
• El Paso, Texas
25 Nov 20
That is a great idea, it never occurred to me to put rocks in the pans and such that I keep water in for the birds.
2 people like this
rebelann1949
@rebelann (111174)
• El Paso, Texas
26 Nov 20
I don't have anything that big @JudyEv I use old pots and pans that I had ruined for normal cooking .... I used to forget I had something on the stove and my food would burn along with the bottom of that pot.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
@rebelann I have a couple of those sorts of saucepans too.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
We have a log in an old bath that is really a horse trough. We've had a cockatoo in the trough and unable to get out and once I rescued a kookaburra that had fallen in. With the log, they can get themselves out.
3 people like this
OceanTiara
@RebeccasFarm (86754)
• United States
25 Nov 20
Wow these are interesting facts I had no idea thanks Judy. I love the old bees if they dont sting me.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
Their sting can be very nasty indeed. And of course very dangerous if you're allergic to their stings.
2 people like this
Belle Starr (Iz)
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
25 Nov 20
Funny, it never occurred to me that bees need to drink and how they do that.
2 people like this
Belle Starr (Iz)
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv I agree
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
Some of these things you just never think about until something happens to draw it to your attention.
2 people like this
Fleur
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
25 Nov 20
That's an amazing photo! I knew they used evaporation to cool the hive, but never thought about exactly how much water that would need - although is a quart a British quart or a US quart or is an Australian quart different again?
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
Our quart is the same as yours. The different liquid measurements really bamboozle me. Trying to convert our petrol prices into US equivalents does my head in!! lol
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Fleur
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv Same here! And using the same names for different measurements makes it doubly confusing|!
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DB
@dgobucks226 (34365)
•
26 Nov 20
Very interesting info on bees. I noticed some bees trying to get into my hummingbird feeder. From reading your post it makes their behavior crystal clear. And being bees I'm sure that sugar water attracted their "sweet tooth."
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
I'm sure you're right. I had no idea they needed so much water.
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CarolDM
@CarolDM (203454)
• Nashville, Tennessee
25 Nov 20
I love reading about bees and enjoy them in my yard every year.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
They are such an integral part of nature. So very necessary.
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CarolDM
@CarolDM (203454)
• Nashville, Tennessee
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv You are so right.
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Nevena Zivkovic
@Nevena83 (65282)
• Serbia
25 Nov 20
I didn’t know those details about the bees.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
I was surprised to learn about their water requirements.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Nov 20
@Nevena83 I hadn't given it a thought either.
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Nevena Zivkovic
@Nevena83 (65282)
• Serbia
26 Nov 20
@JudyEv I’ve never thought about how they drink water before.
1 person likes this
snowy
@snowy22315 (169965)
• United States
25 Nov 20
I didn't know that bees drank that much water.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
Me either. I'd never given it much thought.
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Ptrikha_2
@ptrikha_2 (45472)
• India
3 Dec 20
There is so much Science in how Nature works in case of plants and animals. You seem to be quite concerned about the Bees !
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Ptrikha_2
@ptrikha_2 (45472)
• India
4 Dec 20
@JudyEv Yes I too read that the bees population is getting dwindled rapidly in many places.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Dec 20
They say bees are in danger of dying out and they are vital to our lives. And I hate to think they are thirsty.
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Bobby Larkin
@hostessman (11871)
• Tucson, Arizona
25 Nov 20
i didn't know any of that about the bees. we have plenty of them around in the summer ///
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
I had no idea they needed so much water. There are dozens out there at the moment.
2 people like this
Susan
@HazySue (39264)
• Gouverneur, New York
25 Nov 20
That is a beautiful picture. I never knew that facts about bees and water. You learn something new every day.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
Yes, it was all new to me too.
1 person likes this
Scott Andersen
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
25 Nov 20
my dad had a hive for a few years. I love the honey. We actually had the hive right by the year-round pond on the mini-farm
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
That's the perfect place for a hive according to what I read. Next to a pond that always has a supply of water.
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Raj
@Butterfingers (66585)
• India
25 Nov 20
Useful information but they are so dangerous too but helpful for the honey
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Nov 20
Their sting is very painful and of course, some people are allergic to them.
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