Water a mile away will keep them alive. Water 200 yds. is plenty close enough. The dappled sunlight was the rule before the SHB showed up. The rule now is, the more sun, the better. All day sun in NC is just fine.

 

Reading beekeeping for dummies? These days full sun is best because it helps keep small hive beetles under control.
Is the horse trough angled enough that the bees have easy access to the water? They don't do well with straight walls. It is entirely possible they have enough natural water not to worry about it. If there is a water supply within 1/4 mile you are good. (Not the neighbors hot tub or pool though)

 

If the Horse is using this water trough ?? It's a Big No-No !!

Murrell

 

Yes, the horse trough is used by our horse and it has a straight wall of course. It is a secondary trough and he rarely uses it. I was thinking of putting landing objects on the surface for them to land on. There is a large manmade pond at the bottom of the hill on another property which is about 500 yards away as the crow or bee flies. Is that close enough? The neighbors don't mind and it's not like right next to their house.
Bruce

 

I would place something that floats in the tank in case they do go to it.If it has steep sides you will find dead bees in the tank. More than likely they will go to the pond where they can find easy excess to the water. If i may.If this is a secondary trough is there another one? Jack

 

We have a primary trough down at the barn which he uses most of the time.

 

Charmd writes:
Is the horse trough angled enough that the bees have easy access to the water? They don't do well with straight walls.

tecumseh:
a scrap of rug draped over the edge of the tank makes a handy landing pad.

 

Tecumseh thanks wouldn't have thought of that myself. Someday I may. Need to utilize that information.

 

No, I mentioned that the walls are vertical. It's a typical rubbermaid trough and I don't know of any that are angled.

I think I'll depend on a large pond my neighbors have about 500 yards down my hill. That should be close enough.

I also have a bird bath that I can put up next to the hive.

 

My neighbour told me she saw my bees drinking from her bird bath. I also put a shallow pan of water with some branchs in it right near the hive. When I water my garden, I refresh their water. I'm just a begining beekeeper... but don't the bees get lots of fluids from the sugar syrup I put in every week. My bees drank 5 liters of surgar syrup each week. I was amazed at how much they went thru !!

 

that is a lot of syrup but they still will need water. sometime they will chose the least likely location as their favorite water.

 

The old fella that got me started in bees had a tire that was cut in half (bias ply, no steel belts, from top to bottom) which made a large dish. Ths was placed under a dripping outside spigot and kept the bees, dog and cat watered.

 

I had to place a watering container close to the bees because they were visiting our neighbor's hot tub. I've put a towel half in the water and hanging over the edge, some wood floaters, and banked some gardening rocks in the pail to give the bees a way to enjoy their time at the beach!

 

It never fails the bees are going to lock onto a water source the same way they will lock onto a nectar source. It might be the trough, pond, neighbors hot tub. etc. I have been hearing people who have switched their swimming pools over to a salt water system have bee problems after the switch they didnt have when they used clorine. My guess is the hive needs minerals to survive so they will lock on the best source they can find to get what they need.

 

bees are driven by smell and like most organism they have some need for salt... they will go to salty water before they are attracted to the purest (and likely the least smelly) water source. in regards to hot tubs... most time I have found the scented fragrance they add to the tub also attracts bees.

 

That must be true. I have a plastic "greenhouse" tunnel over part of my garden, and in spring, the snow melt collects in the folds of the plastic, and is all full of stinky compost muck from the soil. The bees just love it!

In past summers, I have put out water, and the bees never went there. I suspect they were in the nearby stinky swamp.

 

My neighbor say's my bees are all over his feed buckets (grain for cattle) when he fills them.(he's afraid of them) I told him if he doesn't mash them,try to kill them, and let's his 40 acre alfalfa field bloom for a week before he cuts it. I'll tell them not to sting him, he agreed. :mrgreen: Jack

PS. i also give him honey.

 

My watering container had the scummiest towel hanging out of it. The bees loved it. I finally had to wash it, but who am I to judge? Maybe it had some minerals they liked.

Now I'm wondering if I should put out some salty water as an experiment.