Thirsty bees need water too

September 14, 2011


The drought is taking a toll not just on plants but wildlife too, including already imperiled honeybees. As in the hot, dry summer of 2009, bees are visiting my stock-tank pond all day long for water, which they use to regulate the temperature of their hive by depositing droplets and fanning their wings across them for evaporative cooling.


Honeybees are in trouble worldwide from colony collapse disorder. So I feel protective of these little guys—gals, actually (worker bees are all female)—even though I recently brought in a hitchhiker in my hair. I managed to avoid being stung, and the bee was relocated outside—no hard feelings. I’m continually having to fish out bees that have slipped into the pond and gotten their wings too wet to escape.

Two years ago a beekeeper told me he thought “my” bees were from a wild colony because he didn’t know of any beekeepers in my neighborhood. I wonder if that’s still true. Beekeeping has become quite a popular hobby lately, which is all to the good. They help us more than we know, by pollinating crops, our gardens, and wild plants, and now they need our help.

If you’re interested in more info about beekeeping in central Texas, check out Urban Beekeeping in Austin, Texas by Karl Arcuri, a former client of mine. He’s been blogging about keeping bees since 2010 and shares a lot of great information.

All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

10 responses to “Thirsty bees need water too”

  1. Jean says:

    Pam – The bees in my backyard have been doing that too. Love the photo of the tongue! I was in Austin very, very briefly this past weekend and was really shocked at what Austin looked like. In my 30+ years of gardening through many droughts there, I never saw it that bad. Amazing … and shocking as I said.
    Jean

  2. Jenny says:

    it’s always fun to see your bees. I have plenty of bees around here and I am sure they are wild as it is very unlikely that anyone in our neighborhood keeps bees. I think they may live in the ground.I have never been stung by a bee despite getting right in their face when working in the garden. Only those paper wasps. They are vicious.

  3. Interesting – have also seen a few more honey bees than in recent years, all enjoying our fountain (or puddles from the rare shower or my just-as-rare hand watering). Same with lizards, birds, etc. Your pictures are better than what I would take, so I’ll remember it through your blog!

  4. Kate says:

    Pam – are you filling your pond with the hose these days? How do you deal with keeping if filled. Mine is much smaller but I feel like I”m filling it constantly and my rain barrel has been dry for a while now (I’m also here in Austin).

    Is yours in full sun, Kate? Mine only gets partial sun, so it doesn’t evaporate too quickly. I top off about an inch every 4 days or so in this heat. Since it’s a large stock-tank pond, I use chlorinated water right out of the hose; the quantity of water already in the pond dilutes it enough not to harm my gambusia, aka mosquito fish. When I had a smaller pond with goldfish, I took care to use rain-barrel water without chlorine. You can dechlorinate tap water by setting it out for 24 hours in a tub or bucket. I found it hard to keep goldfish alive during hot summers without a bubbler pump to aerate the pond, so I switched over to native mosquito fish about a year ago, and they’re happy as clams and breeding like crazy. —Pam

  5. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    Those bees are lucky to be in your neighborhood no matter where they originate from. Maybe someone has a dead tree for them to nest in. Amazing to see them at your trough again.

  6. Karl Arcuri says:

    Thanks for the recommendation Pam! Bees are definitely struggling this year with the drought, but I’ve found that people with urban hives are having greater success due to folks like yourself who maintain diverse gardens.

    You’re welcome, Karl. I’m glad city gardens are helping to keep urban bees going in this drought. —Pam

  7. Scott says:

    Those poor dears…you’re right, anything we can do to help is definitely a benefit to them…and, in the long term, us as well!

  8. Darla says:

    Aren’t all females, worker bees? lol I am always happy to see them around here too.

    Ha! Good one, Darla. —Pam

  9. Darla says:

    sorry I forgot to update my website on your comments….

  10. LB says:

    We are providing water for the bees and adding a new slice of watermelon with honey each day. Any ideas for other foods to help out during this drought?

    It’s hard to have blooming plants during a drought like Texas is experiencing (I assume you’re from Texas?). But some still blooming a little in my garden, and that bees like, are almond verbena, rock penstemon, and Salvia greggii. Kidneywood is a tough native tree/shrub that bees also adore. These might be good choices to plant in the fall. —Pam