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.