Problem: Bees in the birdbath

[sqkcrk]

What about another bird bath, in your yard?

[DonShackelford]

What about another bird bath, in your yard?

This isn't a neighbor, Mark, it's several miles from me. It's not a show stopper either, the property owners were just expressing their only down side to hosting hives last fall, and I thought I'd see if there was a simple fix.

The fact that it is warmer than the pond and smells of chlorine (city water) is probably the draw. We tried emptying it for a week last summer, made no difference. The dark clay saucer with rocks sounds like it is worth a try. I'll give it a shot if it ever gets warm around here. Snow storm moving in this weekend!

[sqkcrk]

Oh, I though it was a next door neighbor. So they are bees, but not necassarily your bees. Good. No liability, just being friendly. I wonder if it is the concrete and not the chlorine in the city water. Does it happen all Summer long?

[DonShackelford]

It is an apiary of mine, so they are my bees. It does happen all summer long. The bird bath also sits in the shade. The pond is about 3 acres in size and is mowed on one side so there is very easy access for the bees.

My next door neighbor has also told me there are lots of bees in his birdbath but he sees that as a good thing!

[Acebird]

Is the bird bath close enough to install an irrigation line so as to slightly overflow the bird bath? This will keep the bees off because there is no place to land, make the water cooler, and washes away the bird poop that the bees may be attracted to. Of course it also gets rid of the problem of constantly filling the bath and if placed in the center of a raised garden it supplies moisture to your flowering plants.