Why You Should Make a Bee Watering Station
Most of us know that bees are one of the most important pollinators that we have. Indeed, without them, the world’s food supplies would be in danger. But did you know that bee populations around the world are in decline? Or that they need our help to survive?
Why Do Bees Need Our Help?
Bees face several threats, and most of them are a direct result of human activity. For example, our development of land for commercial and residential purposes, as well as the use of land on a large scale for agriculture, has led to bee habitat loss. When trees and wildflowers are removed, wild bees automatically lose their homes. Furthermore, the loss of flowering plants means that bees struggle to find food. Other threats to bees include:
- pesticide use
- climate change
- parasites and disease.
How Can We Help?
There are many things we can do to help the bees. It might be something as simple as buying a beautiful piece of bee jewelry from Project Honey Bees. Every piece of jewelry that they sell equates to one bee adoption, which is a win for you and a win for the bees. You get a lovely jewelry item for yourself or a loved one and research into bee conservation receives additional funds.
But there are other things that will help too, such as planting more bee-friendly flowers around your home. Even if you don’t have a big front or back yard, you can use planters. If you live in an apartment without any yard, consider a window box. The more flowers that people plant, the easier it is for bees to access the food they need to survive. But what about water, do you need to provide this as well?
Why are Bee Watering Stations Needed?
Bees need water in the same way that all other life does. While they could get this from rivers and ponds, those that don’t live near bodies of water will need another way to source it. They are quite adept at finding water, but you can make it easier for bees in your local area by providing a bee watering station.
The easiest type of bee watering station is a shallow bowl filled with pebbles, marbles, or small rocks and water. Avoid putting a bowl of water out without filling it with stones or pebbles as although it will provide the bees with a place to cool off and get a drink, there is a risk that the bee could fall in and drown. The point of the pebbles, etc., is to provide a landing that will make it safer for the bee to get a drink and easier for it to fly off again should a bird or animal come along looking for something to eat.
You could also put some larger stones in your bird bath to provide a safe spot for bees to land when they visit your yard. Alternatively, hang up a hummingbird feeder and fill it with water. Both are great solutions when it comes to providing a watering station.
What you should remember however is that wherever you place water for visiting bees, you will need to change it regularly. If you leave it for long periods of time, you run the risk of algae forming or insects laying eggs in it.
To conclude, people are aware of the need to plant more flowers in their yards to provide a source of food for bees, but many don’t realize the importance of providing water stations too. Thankfully, water stations are easy to make and all that is needed is a shallow bowl filled with some pebbles or rocks, and water.
