Bees taking a swim

**ohiomaple** · 08-17-2009, 07:29 AM

Yesterday (sunny and HOT day) while in the pool with my daughter my bees decided to join us, like 50 of them. Honey bees kept falling in the pool and could not take back off. We had to use the skimmer to lift them up and then they flew away. Were they that thirsty? They would of all died if we did not lift them up.. Was interesting, they just kept "jumping" in the pool.. About 5pm they stopped.

1st year with bee so I am not sure if this is something I should expect.

**Ravenseye** · 08-17-2009, 08:20 AM

Bees seem to love pool water to haul back to the hive. It's not bad when it's your pool....when it's your neighbors pool, things might be different!

**Ron Mann** · 08-17-2009, 08:28 AM

Would an alternate water source closer to the hive prevent them form hitting the pool?

I don't have bees at the moment, but when I do get them, I am going to set the hives up with line sight, 50 yards away, of an old 200 gallon cattle watering tough, that is only used as a bird bath now.

I do have neighbors, who have swimming pools, but they are 200 and 400 yards away from the future location of my hive site.

**bnatural** · 08-17-2009, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Ron Mann

Would an alternate water source closer to the hive prevent them form hitting the pool?

Usually, but not always. Bees seem to like 'stuff' in their water. They really seem to like chlorine. Puddles along farm roads, especially muddy ones with a little manure mixed in, are also favorites.

Be sure to set up the watering tank before the bee hive goes in. Then you might add some chlorine and some lemongrass oil to the water to make it more attractive. You want to get them established at your watering source BEFORE they find another one, like a neighbor's pool. It can be really hard to get them to change, once they have identified a source.

Platforms, floats, or other landing areas, so they don't fall in and drown, are also helpful.

Bill

**Ron Mann** · 08-17-2009, 09:11 AM

I have cinder blocks and bricks in the tough so that the birds do not drown in it.

I had to fish a dead mocking bird out of it several years ago, so hence the platform.

Chlorine would be no problem, I could add a little Clorox it to it.

**devdog108** · 08-17-2009, 09:32 AM

My neighbor knows mine are at his pool, so they pick them up while swimming, let them shake themselves down and watch them fly off. Once they learned that they wouldnt sting you for helping, all was well. They recently have become fond of fish pond.

**Ron Mann** · 08-17-2009, 10:38 AM

I didn't even think of that.

I plan on putting in a kio pond this fall and winter, while it cooler.

My kid became a master hole digger during his 1st enlistment with an artillery unit, digging cow holes for M-2 machine gun placement.

**Ravenseye** · 08-17-2009, 11:14 AM

I always have a chicken waterer near the hives with wine corks floating around the rim. It gets pretty good use. There's also a bird bath around the back of the house that the bees like. So far, the neighbors pool doesn't seem to be their main watering hole...at least so far as I know.