Bees in water troughs

[Brute 23]

Does any one have any ideas for keeping bees from drowning on the water troughs?

Thought for sure they would have some thing online but I'm not having any luck.

 

[Ebenezer]

Put a piece of a plank that will float. I guess you could use plastic of Styrofoam

 

[Rmc]

Yep put something that floats but just barely above the water so they can use it to land on while still reaching the water

 

[Travlr]

Does any one have any ideas for keeping bees from drowning on the water troughs?

Thought for sure they would have some thing online but I'm not having any luck.

2X6 about 6 or 8 inches long.

 

[4hfarms]

A semi clean tree branch in the trough, leaning from side to side.

 

[Brute 23]

I have tried board and logs but they eventually water log and sink.

Hate to use any thing a cow can tear up.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

You may have to set up a little tiny "bee trough".
There are a few ideas here:

Bees bothering neighbor's horses and water trough?

Bees bothering neighbor's horses and water trough?

beemaster.com

 

[backhoeboogie]

I had boards. But now they go after my chicken waterers. They don't seem to have issues with those. I suppose they can get to the sides.

 

[Brute 23]

They need to make cow troughs with a kiddy pool side built in I guess.

 

[greybeard]

They are a pita. They really like a trough with some algae on the sides of it but even now, I pull abut 50 of them out of my pool skimmer basket every few days. They fly well but can't swim for S****.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Honeybees need water for the hive. Lots of beekeepers put out waterers for them in the summer. Mine are using the fish pond. If a persen bent a piece of hardware cloth over the side of the trough they would drink and climb out.

 

[backhoeboogie]

In theory, yes. But they still die with hardware cloth. Likely less but you don't truly know.

Bees only live about 3 weeks after they begin to forage. The dead ones could have been on their last leg to begin with. At least that where my curiosity goes. I look at their wings and see some of them have been beaten down.

This was a great year for bees here in Texas. We've now hit a drought and gone beyond the nectar flow. They are hitting the chicken waterers heavy. I only have six hives.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

It's those cheap plastic Queen excluders that fray worker's wings. They have sharp edges. The metal ones are better because the wire in rounded.

 

[Brute 23]

I didn't know that about the bees. It was a great great start start. The weeds were going crazy and all the birds, bees, insects were loving it. We got any where from .75-1.25 last week buy a little time but it's turning dry fast.

 

[greybeard]

been over a month since I had any measurable rain.

 

[1982vett]

been over a month since I had any measurable rain.

Same here. Had some get close but that's it.

 

[EasTex]

Yep bone dry here, Death Valley. Time to start selling?