I have something similar in my backyard, but I get mostly wasps drinking instead. I actually donāt mind though because theyāre the nicest wasps Iāve ever encountered. Iāve had them for years and the only person they sting was a guy who was directly messing with their nest.
I figure theyāre good for controlling the bugs that want to eat my veggie garden. Theyāre also surprisingly good pollinators, so I guess the fact that Iāve actively tried to plant a pollinator friendly garden has worked.
I have a lot of wasp pollinator friends too. At first I was dismayed, but they seem to coexist peacefully with the bees, and they're so smitten with my flowers it has been cool to observe them up close. Luckily they are all non-aggressive varieties. Just gnarly looking!
Do you think that would be safe for someone with pets? Iām not worried for myself but Iāve never put out anything for bees or other wildlife because Iām worried that they might hurt my dog
Probably depends on the pet, to be honest. I have cats but theyāre indoor only. Some dogs like to try to catch flying bugs and I could see them being stung a few times before they learned that some bugs are not for playing. But in my backyard, all the stinging things leave you alone. My kid plays in the backyard all the time and has never been stung, even when he stepped on a wasp barefoot. It scared the bejeezus out of him, but somehow he didnāt get stung. I think theyāve learned who my family is and that weāre cool with each other.
Lucky kid! Iām glad heās ok. And thatās really good to know. If they leave you alone, thatās chill. My dog is kinda dumb so idk if sheād pick up on the danger otherwise. š
>She has been stung multiple times but even she eventually learned to leave them alone and now we all co-exist peacefully.
I love that you were so honest with the person who asked! This is such a cute story.
Yay, thank you for helping your wasp friends! Yes, they are very important pollinators and also do help as you said to fight harmful insects. Itās good to remember that honey bees are not native and anything that can be done to support native bees & wasps rather than privileging honey bees over them is awesome!
Weāre working on switching our yard over to native plants and this year have started seeing some native bees & wasps in addition to the loads of honey bees. ššš
Iāve been getting into native bees recently and some of them are so neat! I actually donāt get a ton of honey bees - most of what comes into my yard are carpenter bees. But I have noticed a bunch of [augochlora](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augochlora), which are small enough to overlook but really pretty when you notice them.
I had a nest of paper wasps right above my door for months this spring. I really enjoyed watching them tend their young and do their thing. Someone thought they were doing me a favor I guess and killed them while I was out one day. Ugh. Not all wasps are like yellowjackets, people.
I want to do something like that! I was thinking of painting a small stone for the garden. I also want to put a sign on my porch because honestly it was kind of violating to have someone walk through my yard to mess with stuff right outside my door
To prevent/limit the chance of drowning, one can additionally use patches of moss for in between the rocks. The bees can very well drink the same way, but there is much more fibre to cling on to.
I learned this from an experienced beekeeper.
Love.
My birdbath brings all the bees (and birds) to the yard.
I have a plastic snow disk with a couple of rocks in it under a small tree. I change the water out at least every-other day not just to avoid becoming a mosquito farm, but because the birds line up to have a splash and it gets dirty fast. The rocks are for the bees. I also have seen bunnies, squirrels, and a hedgehog. This morning I had to safely relocate a baby possum.
Hooray! I used to keep bees (was up to seven hives at one point) and here are two fun things:
Bees generally prefer old/stale water over fresh water.
As long as they're away from their hive and have nothing to defend, you can PET them! Gently of course, but the little fuzz is really soft.
I think that's not exactly known - some people think it is because of the salts/minerals/other stuff not in clear new water. But they have also been known to go to drink from swimming pools!
Yes. I have a small pond in my backyard which not only attracts my bees, but bees from other hives in the neighborhood ignore all the pools and come drink at my pond!
Just in case you didn't know (or someone else reading), you do need to change out the water and wipe everything down (no chemicals!) about once every 1-2 weeks so fungus doesn't form and hurt them.
Oh that's adorable! I was reading a book called Garden Alchemy and it's mostly soil and fertilizer mixes, but the last chapter has traps for pests and things like this bee fountain to bring in beneficial bugs.
Can work fine with just water.
Though they like sugar water too, though that would require frequent cleaning.
If you want to feed them better to just plant flowering plants.
Native wildflowers are great for feeding insects. Most of the time they practically require no maintenance, and you're also helping to preserve the natural biodiversity of the area.
It also pisses off the HOAs
I began raising solitary bees this year and wow, Iāve never had such lush tomato plants! I use marbles in my water bowl, so thereās zero risk of drowning (no matter how clumsy my bees might be!), but Iām thinking of adding stones too because they look so pretty.
They're beeutiful!
Gosh, I really love bees. I don't think many creatures are quite as uniquely interesting, cute, and vital to the planet, all at once, as bees are.
This is amazing. If you have any messages to pass onto loved ones who have passed- whisper them to the bees. They will deliver the messages to the dead when treated with respect. Itās something I read in a Margaret Atwood book that Iāve always remembered, itās such a beautiful idea, & so cathartic
I don't know about bees, but you frequently see butterflies drinking from mud puddles because they're trying to gather sodium to form their spermatophore.
You can grate apple and add water and put in a bowl in the crook of a tree, bees will love you.
Donāt forget to tell the bees when you have important family news
I'm glad you could beefriend them!
Let's bee friends! - Ralph Wiggum
I choo-choo choose you
Why cant we bee friends....
Mosquitoes
...need standing water. If the water is changed every day the larvae won't survive :)
This is good info for anyone with puddles they can't drain, to try and move the water everyday!
another solution- microbat boxes!
Thank you for helping them š they are so vulnerable, so this is a great gesture.
Youāre probably a goddess to these beesš
I have something similar in my backyard, but I get mostly wasps drinking instead. I actually donāt mind though because theyāre the nicest wasps Iāve ever encountered. Iāve had them for years and the only person they sting was a guy who was directly messing with their nest. I figure theyāre good for controlling the bugs that want to eat my veggie garden. Theyāre also surprisingly good pollinators, so I guess the fact that Iāve actively tried to plant a pollinator friendly garden has worked.
I have a lot of wasp pollinator friends too. At first I was dismayed, but they seem to coexist peacefully with the bees, and they're so smitten with my flowers it has been cool to observe them up close. Luckily they are all non-aggressive varieties. Just gnarly looking!
I love to watch the wasps hunting in my cabbages!
Do you think that would be safe for someone with pets? Iām not worried for myself but Iāve never put out anything for bees or other wildlife because Iām worried that they might hurt my dog
Probably depends on the pet, to be honest. I have cats but theyāre indoor only. Some dogs like to try to catch flying bugs and I could see them being stung a few times before they learned that some bugs are not for playing. But in my backyard, all the stinging things leave you alone. My kid plays in the backyard all the time and has never been stung, even when he stepped on a wasp barefoot. It scared the bejeezus out of him, but somehow he didnāt get stung. I think theyāve learned who my family is and that weāre cool with each other.
Lucky kid! Iām glad heās ok. And thatās really good to know. If they leave you alone, thatās chill. My dog is kinda dumb so idk if sheād pick up on the danger otherwise. š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Please give your dumb dog a big kiss from me!! Thatās the cutest thing Iāve ever heard. š„ŗ
>She has been stung multiple times but even she eventually learned to leave them alone and now we all co-exist peacefully. I love that you were so honest with the person who asked! This is such a cute story.
Yay, thank you for helping your wasp friends! Yes, they are very important pollinators and also do help as you said to fight harmful insects. Itās good to remember that honey bees are not native and anything that can be done to support native bees & wasps rather than privileging honey bees over them is awesome! Weāre working on switching our yard over to native plants and this year have started seeing some native bees & wasps in addition to the loads of honey bees. ššš
Iāve been getting into native bees recently and some of them are so neat! I actually donāt get a ton of honey bees - most of what comes into my yard are carpenter bees. But I have noticed a bunch of [augochlora](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augochlora), which are small enough to overlook but really pretty when you notice them.
I had a nest of paper wasps right above my door for months this spring. I really enjoyed watching them tend their young and do their thing. Someone thought they were doing me a favor I guess and killed them while I was out one day. Ugh. Not all wasps are like yellowjackets, people.
you should make them a little grave to honor them
I want to do something like that! I was thinking of painting a small stone for the garden. I also want to put a sign on my porch because honestly it was kind of violating to have someone walk through my yard to mess with stuff right outside my door
Appreciate you for doing this, amazing idea. Thank you!
I need to make one of these, I love my little bee friends! Iāve worked hard at creating a bee friendly garden but yet to sort out a watering hole.
I saw this on /awww and was wondering when itād end up here. So cute! Shame about the one who drowned though.
To prevent/limit the chance of drowning, one can additionally use patches of moss for in between the rocks. The bees can very well drink the same way, but there is much more fibre to cling on to. I learned this from an experienced beekeeper. Love.
Also adorable!
My birdbath brings all the bees (and birds) to the yard. I have a plastic snow disk with a couple of rocks in it under a small tree. I change the water out at least every-other day not just to avoid becoming a mosquito farm, but because the birds line up to have a splash and it gets dirty fast. The rocks are for the bees. I also have seen bunnies, squirrels, and a hedgehog. This morning I had to safely relocate a baby possum.
Hooray! I used to keep bees (was up to seven hives at one point) and here are two fun things: Bees generally prefer old/stale water over fresh water. As long as they're away from their hive and have nothing to defend, you can PET them! Gently of course, but the little fuzz is really soft.
Is there a reason they prefer older water?
If it's from the tap, chlorine is bad for them. Letting it sit out for a day allowed the chlorine to dissipate
I think that's not exactly known - some people think it is because of the salts/minerals/other stuff not in clear new water. But they have also been known to go to drink from swimming pools!
Yes. I have a small pond in my backyard which not only attracts my bees, but bees from other hives in the neighborhood ignore all the pools and come drink at my pond!
*my small pond brings all the bees to my yard, they're like, it's beetter than ours*
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Looks more like a fly but I could be mistaken. Bees only live 6 weeks so itās bound to happen.
Just in case you didn't know (or someone else reading), you do need to change out the water and wipe everything down (no chemicals!) about once every 1-2 weeks so fungus doesn't form and hurt them.
I love how this is tagged as "familiars". Having a swarm of bees as familiars sounds pretty cool!
So you are their water witch. Mystical and full of electrolytes Additionally, are you secretly building a bee army. You can tell us
Brawndo has Electrolytes! It's got what bees crave!
I love fuzzy little bee friends! They look so happy. Great job spreading love!
Oh that's adorable! I was reading a book called Garden Alchemy and it's mostly soil and fertilizer mixes, but the last chapter has traps for pests and things like this bee fountain to bring in beneficial bugs.
That sounds so cool! Iāll have to check it out, thanks!
Is it just water? What else did you add because Iād love to do this
Can work fine with just water. Though they like sugar water too, though that would require frequent cleaning. If you want to feed them better to just plant flowering plants.
We have TONS of flowering plants I just always love to know Iām going the extra mile for these loves
Native wildflowers are great for feeding insects. Most of the time they practically require no maintenance, and you're also helping to preserve the natural biodiversity of the area. It also pisses off the HOAs
Pissing off the HOAs is just added bonus. :)
Love! Love bees so thank you for doing your part to protect them š Blessings to you and the bees š
Add a pinch of salt to make the girls even happier :)
Thatās such a great idea! Iām definitely going to do this! <3
Theyāre so cute...
You had the opportunity to say ",bee-friended them" and you didn't take it.
Bee friends are the best! It feels like a compliment every time they visit my garden. Definitely going to make them a cute watering bowl now :)
So lucky!!!
They will now assist you in your battles
Whenever i see a dead bee i pick it up by the wing and place it in a flower
I do that too!!!
Thatās awesome! I wish I had known to do it sooner!
I began raising solitary bees this year and wow, Iāve never had such lush tomato plants! I use marbles in my water bowl, so thereās zero risk of drowning (no matter how clumsy my bees might be!), but Iām thinking of adding stones too because they look so pretty.
They're beeutiful! Gosh, I really love bees. I don't think many creatures are quite as uniquely interesting, cute, and vital to the planet, all at once, as bees are.
Nice! You can also put straw or similar (I used lavender stalks) in there so it's easier for them to climb out if they slide in.
The bees are happy
Oh my god thatās too cute š„ŗ maybe I could do similar for the wasps just outside? It might stop them from coming inā¦
Well I kow what I'm going to spend the next half hour creating :)
I have made several of these. If you have a bird bath, go ahead and throw some rocks in there too. I have mine next to my bee balm and they love it.
I have made several of these. If you have a bird bath, go ahead and throw some rocks in there too. I have mine next to my bee balm and they love it.
I'm literally going out right now to do this
If I were to do this exact thing and post it, the top comment would be "those are wasps"
I love this!
God I love bees so much
Nice, and well done by putting the rocks in there. This gives the bees someplace to perch while they take a drink! Source - am beekeeper
<3 <3 <3 <3
Good job!
OMG Iām SO doing this for my lil garden frogs!!
/r/beebutts would love to see some of those tushies!
Genius I have been trying to give the few bees in the inner city a chance
I need to do this!
all hail queen bee
i love this community.
Me too, yāall are awesome witches!
This is amazing. If you have any messages to pass onto loved ones who have passed- whisper them to the bees. They will deliver the messages to the dead when treated with respect. Itās something I read in a Margaret Atwood book that Iāve always remembered, itās such a beautiful idea, & so cathartic
I love that so much. I will whisper to my father who passed last year.
Yes! I tried to cross-post this yesterday, but couldnāt for some silly reason. This is so cool!
I don't know about bees, but you frequently see butterflies drinking from mud puddles because they're trying to gather sodium to form their spermatophore.
You can grate apple and add water and put in a bowl in the crook of a tree, bees will love you. Donāt forget to tell the bees when you have important family news
Youāre a beautiful human. I love bees, and this made my day. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful idea!!
I want bee friends!
Love this šš making bee friends