Bees Need Water

 

Honey bee foragers collect four things to bring into their hives: nectar, pollen, propolis and water. The bee colony is quite adept at controlling the temperature of its hive. Whenever there is brood in the hive, the bees regulate the temperature in the brood area to 95 degrees. With afternoon temperature climbing above 100 degrees in the shade, it is a challenge for bees to cool their hive, especially if it is located in the full sun. To assist in cooling the hive, foragers bring large amounts of water into the hive, and workers fan their wings over droplets of water. It is important that beekeepers supply their bees with a reliable source of water throughout the year. If there is a natural water source, such as a lake or stream within one quarter of a mile, bees will forage from it. In all other cases, beekeepers need to supply water in containers like we see in today’s photo. Useful water containers are typically placed in sunny locations, and they need floats or rocks for the bees to climb upon while foraging. Supplying water for hives in urban and suburban locations is particularly important, else bees will seek neighbors’ swimming pools. Bees love swimming pool water flavored with chlorine and suntan lotion. Foraging water with a flavor is part of the honey bee’s behavior of sharing the taste of food being foraged. When scout bees discover a food or water source, they share its taste with foragers they are recruiting. The scouts also mark the location of the water source with Nasanov gland pheromone.

On hot afternoons and evenings, bees move outside the hive and rest on the hive’s surface or hang in a bearding fashion to assist in cooling the brood area. Beekeepers can assist their colonies in cooling their hives by painting the hives in light colors. Placing hives to the east side of trees that provide afternoon shade helps cool the bees and the beekeepers working the hives.

--Richard