Just back in from watering some pots and spotted this thread.
We keep hives of honeybees in our garden .... and as soon as I start to water anything I have plenty of "company". The bees are very interested in any wet soil .... and, as Bob's article points out, a good muddy puddle.
At this time of the year they are using water for mixing pollen to a nice paste to feed to their brood. They also need water to soften any of their winter stores that have granulated and hardened ... ivy honey does this.
In the summer they need lots of water to keep their hive cool.
Clever little things aren't they!
Bee
Bees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make one pound of honey
They have spent two winters in my chimney and today their behaviour was unusual... was worried they were moving as dozens of them were circling the chimney, more in the pond and all over the garden. Also was worried my neighbours might see them and overreact
They've gone back to normal now, just going back and forth.
Good to hear that they are surviving in your chimney .... often feral bees succumb to varroa mite and die out.
If they decide to move on the queen will leave with half the bees (possibly several thousand) ... and leave the remaining bees in the chimney with queen cells to hatch as a replacement queen. This "swarming season" tends to be anytime from late May - mid July.
The activity you've seen today is likely just to be them being busy doing their various jobs (water carrying being one of them) getting the hive ready for the summer ahead.
Bee
Bees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make one pound of honey
Posts
Hi Folks,
Just back in from watering some pots and spotted this thread.
We keep hives of honeybees in our garden .... and as soon as I start to water anything I have plenty of "company". The bees are very interested in any wet soil .... and, as Bob's article points out, a good muddy puddle.
At this time of the year they are using water for mixing pollen to a nice paste to feed to their brood. They also need water to soften any of their winter stores that have granulated and hardened ... ivy honey does this.
In the summer they need lots of water to keep their hive cool.
Clever little things aren't they!
Bee
That is interesting Bee, thank you
They have spent two winters in my chimney and today their behaviour was unusual... was worried they were moving as dozens of them were circling the chimney, more in the pond and all over the garden. Also was worried my neighbours might see them and overreact
They've gone back to normal now, just going back and forth.
Phew!
Hi VS,
Good to hear that they are surviving in your chimney .... often feral bees succumb to varroa mite and die out.
If they decide to move on the queen will leave with half the bees (possibly several thousand) ... and leave the remaining bees in the chimney with queen cells to hatch as a replacement queen. This "swarming season" tends to be anytime from late May - mid July.
The activity you've seen today is likely just to be them being busy doing their various jobs (water carrying being one of them) getting the hive ready for the summer ahead.
Bee
Glad they're not going anywhere, behaviour is normal today for a sunnyish day.