Hot Day "My head" water source

[EastSideBuzz]

Around here it is in the High 80's to 90's right now.

We had some friends come over and my wife said are you allergic to bee's? I said honey you don't need to get them worried they wont bother us. We went out side and sat and the kids were spraying the dogs from the deck with water.

My head was sweating, hair sweaty and I peer'd over the deck to check on the dogs barking and wham 1 bee in my hair then three more. I got stung 2-3 times. I went in the house and there were 2 more in my hair and a couple followed us in the house.

I am thinking that they don't have a good enough water source and have decided that anything wet will do. Did not think that they would dive bomb us.

(And the water the kids were squirting was no where near the hives.)

[Pete0]

You need to be sure your bees have a source of water! They'll use that water to cool the hive. Chicken waterer, dripping hose bib, air conditioner drain, or the like are all good. Neighbors pool or sweating ice tea glass are bad. You can lead your bees to your water source using lemon pledge which mimics a bee pheromone. Spray your water source and then using the spray mark a path to your hives, Act like your marking an underground line, spray a line, take a few steps, spray a line, etc. Within a few hours there will be bees there investigating and when they find water they should return.

Good luck,


Pete0
Bena, VA

[Tom G. Laury]

I haven't heard that lemon pledge method before. :thumbsup:

[EastSideBuzz]

You can lead your bees to your water source using lemon pledge which mimics a bee pheromone. Spray your water source and then using the spray mark a path to your hives, Act like your marking an underground line, spray a line, take a few steps, spray a line, etc.


The Pledge did not work for me. I sprayed it on the trough and the cinder blocks under and a line to the hives.

[wcubed]

Don't wait for hot weather to provide a nearby water source. Provide a RELIABLE water source in the frosty-morning, late-winter period when they need water to thin honey to feed consistancy for brood nest expansion. When they have a nearby source, they typically stay with it into hot weather.

I believe they can "smell" water. Nastiness seems to help. A leak in your sewer line, overgrown with weeds, is located and used without any visual cues.

Walt