Tuesday, July 12, 2016

They Bee Thirsty



All lined up at the Bee Bar!
My fountain has become the bees' favorite drinking spot,
so much so that it's hard to turn it on unless we make
certain all the bees are out of harm's way.


They prefer this warmer water, rich with algae over
their clean tub with nice stepping rocks so they have
a better footing,


I saw an unofficial survey of beekeepers that came to 
the conclusion that they really don't care for the cleaner water.


There are frequently 10-20 bees drinking at the various levels.
It has three bowls plus the deeper bottom section.
The wasps prefer the bird bath, of course there are 
bees in it too but more so the fountain.


The bumbles are thick this year.
Really, they are probably carpenter bees but 
they are great to watch and are good pollinators.
We live in the woods so there is plenty of wood for them.


They don't seem to care how close I get, in fact,
they sometimes hover right at your face level
to see what you're up to.  I just talk to them and 
they buzz back a bit before flying off.
Sometimes I think they get so much pollen they get drunk.
I find them almost listless, hanging onto the flower center
but very much alive!  They like my tomatillos and squash too.


I try to keep a good collection of flowers for them.
It's been a crazy year though.  Cool and wet in the early Spring,
almost swamping everything and then suddenly changing to hot
and dry. (And me without a drip system!)
It's cooler and we're getting more rain now so things are looking up.



4 comments:

HIBISCUS HOUSE said...

I love reading about the bees and seeing the flowers. They do love them. I also know they love living over there with you!

Manny said...

That is so cute! I'm glad bees are making a comeback around you. I haven't seen that many around here.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

That's so funny that the bees prefer the green, algae filled water, than the clean water. I do love me some honey and drink some everyday with some vinegar in warm water.

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

The bees are so much more interesting than I had originally thought! One fell in the water the other day when I was watching them and another one got behind it and helped it up the side!