Water Sources in the Apiary

A water source in the apiary means providing, safely and continuously, the water bees need for cooling, feeding brood and diluting stores. Water is the need beekeepers most underestimate; a lack of it both weakens the colony and sends bees to neighbours' ponds and taps, leading to complaints. A shallow water source set up in the right place at the right time prevents most of these problems.

What do bees use water for?

• Cooling: In hot weather, droplets of water are placed on the edges of the combs and in cells, and the bees evaporate them by fanning their wings. This is how the temperature of the brood nest is kept within a narrow range.
• Brood food: Nurse bees use water when preparing the food given to larvae and when diluting pollen-based food. As the amount of brood increases, so does the need for water.
• Diluting stores: Thickened or crystallised honey and fondant are dissolved with water before being consumed.
• The bee's own consumption: Every bee takes in water to balance its body fluids.

The need rises in spring as brood rearing speeds up and peaks on hot summer days. On a hot afternoon the number of foragers carrying water suddenly increases; a colony forced to carry water instead of collecting nectar makes less honey.

Why should the beekeeper provide water?

If there is no water nearby, bees go to any source they can find: a neighbour's pond, a livestock trough, a dripping tap, a bird bath, wet washing. This is one of the most common causes of complaints in beekeeping, and it is easy to prevent.

A distant water source is also costly for the colony: a water-carrying bee makes the trip each time and spends energy. Bees taking water from dirty sources, or water contaminated with manure or pesticides, can be poisoned. A safe water source reduces these risks as well.

An important rule: set up the water source early

Bees learn where their water source is and get used to it. Once a colony has got used to a neighbour's pond, it is very difficult to draw it to a new source; the bees keep going to the place they know for weeks.

That is why the water source should be set up before the colonies arrive in the apiary, or at the latest in early spring, before the bees start looking for water. A water source set up after a problem has arisen is often too late. If the habit has already formed, the neighbour's source can be closed or covered for a while, while at the same time making the apiary's water source more attractive.

What makes a good water source for bees?

• A surface to hold on to: A bee cannot stand on the surface of water and drowns easily. Stones, gravel, pieces of wood, cork, floating twigs or spongy material are put in the container.
• It must be shallow: Deep buckets and barrels lead to drowning; a wide, shallow container, or one filled with stones, is preferred.
• A sunny spot: Bees prefer lukewarm water to cold water; a water source that gets the sun is adopted more quickly in spring.
• Sheltered from the wind: It is hard for bees to land on a water source exposed to the wind.
• Always full: A water source that dries out for a few days breaks the habit and the bees look for another source. Drip irrigation, a float-valve reservoir or a large container make this easier.
• The right distance: Close to the hives, but not directly in front of the entrances; a water source in front of the hive quickly gets fouled with faeces and dead bees.

Examples you can use: a wide tray filled with gravel, a shallow trough with moss-covered stones, a container of stones placed under a slowly dripping tap, a small pond with a gravel edge.

What kind of water do bees like?

Bees prefer water that is slightly smelly and mineral-rich rather than completely clean and odourless water. That is why muddy edges, mossy surfaces and damp soil attract them. Creating a natural edge for a new water source and putting a few mossy stones in it helps the bees adopt it.

Adding a little honey or sugar to the water in the first few days to teach bees where the water source is is not recommended; this can start robbing and attracts hornets and wasps. Be patient: a shallow, sunny source that is always full will be found within a few days.

Hygiene of the water source

• Refresh the water regularly: Stagnant water goes bad and breeds mosquitoes.
• Clean the container now and then: Remove excess algae, mud and rotting leaves; a few mossy stones can stay.
• Remove dead bees: If dead bees are building up in the water, there are not enough surfaces to hold on to.
• Do not add syrup, honey or medicines: This both starts robbing and leads to diseases and residues being carried via the shared source.

A shared water source can act as a vehicle for transmitting certain agents between colonies (for example Nosema spores spread via faeces). That is why it is important that the water source is not in front of the entrances and that it is cleaned regularly.

Do bees drink water in winter?

The need for water continues throughout the winter, but it is small because there is little brood, and bees mostly meet it from condensation inside the hive. The moisture produced by the winter cluster condenses on the cold roof and the outer combs; the bees make use of these droplets. When they go out on cleansing flights in suitable weather, they also take water from outside.

When brood rearing starts at the end of winter, the need for water rises quickly. At this time, bees flying to a distant source on a cold day can get chilled and die before they return; a nearby, sunny water source reduces these losses in early spring. A frozen water source is not a problem; it is enough to get it working again in early spring.

Common mistakes