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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Bees and Swimming pools
  • Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:44:30 -0400

Annallys,

Your wading pool idea is exactly the right approach. Put it between the hives and the neighbor's pool --- directly in the flight path --- so the bees have no choice but to notice it. If possible, water from the neighbor's pool would be the best thing to put in it initially; that way there is no choice involved other than the short route versus the long route.

If directly in the flight path isn't a great place for you to leave the wading pool, you can move it bit by bit to a better location once the bees have become trained to it. But to start with, it must literally be in the bees' way or they will ignore it in favor of their tried-and-true source.

If this fails, as a last resort you may need to move your hives to a new location for a month or two, long enough for the foragers trained on the swimming pool to pass on to bee heaven. Then when you move them back you can try to train them to a closer/better source.

An ornamental pond with flowing, bubbling water and floating plants is very attractive to bees. It doesn't have to be huge; a whiskey barrel pond works well.

Good luck! Let us know how it works out!

Randall Austin

On 7/15/2011 12:02 AM, annallys Goodwin-Landher wrote:
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Hi,
 
I am soliciting feedback about bees using a neighbors swimming pool (saltwater) as a watering hole.  Evidently, the owner cannot swim in the pool until sundown and he and his family are getting stung if they swim during the day.  The bees are on 2.6 acres and approximatley a half block from the pool.  There is a pond about a block away that is being ignored. The owner of the pool wants to invite a friend over who is very allergic to bee stings.  I was unaware of the situation until today.   I suspect the pools been in close to a year, however the owner just brought the topic up and seems to be of a mind that the pool is most important.  
 
Today I purchased a small wading pool, placed bricks and stones in it for the bees and made what I call bee tea, an infusion of herbs and flowers along with sea salt.  I will check tomorrow to see if the bees are at all inclined to drink the water, 20 feet from the hive.  I may look into getting a solar powered fountain and convert the pool into a pond.
 
Any and all suggestions and insights welcome!
 
Regards 

Annallys Goodwin-Landher
PO Box 2744
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
919 933-9109
annallys AT hotmail.com
 

 
 

 


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