Water for bees in an Arid Climate

[SoarWestBees]

I live south of Phoenix, Arizona so it's hot and dry here. I'm wondering how close I need to keep water for my bees? I have a home owners lake about 200 yards away over a street and row of houses. Is that close enough? Since in the other direction my next door neighbors have a pool, I need to keep the bees away from their home or they will drown.

I could put a bird bath or something in the yard but I'm trying to decide if it's necessary.

Thanks

[AR Beekeeper]

Use an entrance feeder with water. Once the bees start to use it, and as long as you keep water in it, the bees will not use another water source. If the bees are using another water source you will need to attract them to the entrance feeder. This can be done by starting with a weak sugar water and then changing to straight water.

[Michael Bush]

The hotter the climate the more water they need to cool the hive. I would try to have water within 100 yards.

[Joseph Clemens]

Use an entrance feeder with water. . .

But around here (I'm in Tucson, AZ), during Summer, you'd have to refill a quart jar about every hour, or put on about two to five gallons per hive, per day.

Another thing about water in our hot and arid climate, the bees seem to go for every source of water available, not just the nearest one. I have a 350 gallon koi pond, they drain about 30 gallons per day, I have water-hog plants everywhere on my one acre - with micro sprinklers on timers (the bees are drinking any residual water from these), I have an evaporative cooler, cooling our house (I keep the pads wet, year-'round, the bees are on the pads whenever it's warm enough and daylight). The bees seem to find every source of water, and utilize them. My neighbor says they're always drinking from his dogs water sources, too.

[SoarWestBees]

I sure hope that my bees don't end up bothering my next door neighbors pool, otherwise I'm going to have some problems on my hands. I'll put in a fountain or some water feature that includes the ability to keep it full, fairly near the hive. That should help with this issue. For now it's cool and I'm using the quart bottle method. It lasts several days. That will hold me until I can get some type of water feature installed.

I still don't know if I actually have a full colony with a queen so I might wait the week or two it'll take to discover that before I drop more money!

[Walt McBride]

Bees need water even when it is cool. Current day temp. aprox. 60 -68 deg. in Los Angeles area now.

At this time bees are going for water quite a bit. As I understand it it is used in the make up of brood food, and the hives are now making brood like crazy.

I have found providing water in buckets placed NOT next to hives but say 25'-30' away are more attractive to the bees.

Walt