[RonS]

Do I need to provide water if I am feeding sugar syrup in a top feeder? Very dry here in south Texas and surface water is scarce.

Ron

 

[Sundance]

I would...... others may not. How many colonies?

 

[RonS]

Only two, but next to each other. I have the Boardman (sp) feeders that I intended to use for water. Can't use them with the entrance reducers. I can put a water bucket in front of the hives filled with rocks for access, if you think that would work.

Ron

 

[Jim Williamson]

I'd give 'em water. If they're gathering pollen they're going to need it. Pile up your rocks into an "island in the middle of your bucket. The bees can continue to drink as the water level goes down.

My bees are drinking like crazy out of my pool. The cover is still on, but there's plenty of water on top. It's a lot of fun getting dive-bombed in the summer. Took a while for the kids to get used to the bees, but now everybody helps out the poor bee who can't swim. We take turns doing lifeguard duty.

 

[RonS]

Jim,

Will do. I enjoyed your story about being a family of lifeguards. We are building a new house, with move-in in a few weeks. We hope to build a large water effect with a stream. I will check with my association to make it bee friendly. Can't have a pool as our soil is six inches deep, then solid bedrock. I know because it took them four days to drill/hammer the septic tank hole.

Ron

 

[george dilley]

i am a little over 250 miles south of you and only time any beeks down here put water out is during the long hot summers down here it was around 100 here today

 

[Michael Bush]

If you have doubts about water supply, then keep water out for them. A bucket with a lot of sticks in it works. Actually my grandsons came up with a really good waterer (not on purpose). Sticks that stick up out of the bucket, not floating. The bees use them for ladders.