Drought and Bees

We are in the middle of a fierce heatwave here in Texas. Compounding the heat is that we are experiencing our worst drought in decades. Plants and animals in the area are suffering as a result. The creek behind our home is not running, and has only a few pockets of water remaining. The larger creek that drains our neighborhood is the lowest I have ever seen it. Where does this sit with the bees? The summer is a always a period of dearth for the bees. There is very little in the way of nectar flow, compared to spring and fall. Usually the population of bees is quite high as result of the spring buildup. It’s a tough time for the bees, and is also when hives may be susceptible to robbing from other hives in the area. The strong preying on the weak.

My neighbors have a large and beautiful fountain in their backyard. They had mentioned to me in the late spring that there were bees that would come and drink from it. They did not have a problem with this. But just the other day they mentioned that the number of bees had greatly increased. They no longer felt comfortable with the number of bees present, particularly since their dog drinks from the fountain. No doubt the drought has led to this, as sources of water for the bees have diminished. Down in the creekbed behind my home, I found some bees drinking from the stagnant pools. But I suppose bees are like people–we like better tasting water.

So a new experiment is at hand. I have a water feature in my front yard that some bees had been using. The pump tends to clog, and over vacation, the fountain was no longer running. No more bees were coming. I unclogged the pump and now that fountain is running. The previous owners had left a small fountain in the backyard which we had not ever used. I cleaned that up, put water in it, and plugged it in. It works just fine, thank goodness. I placed a brick inside this small fountain so that bees can more easily access the water.

Then last night, for the final step of my intervention, I emptied my neighbors’ fountain. One thing I know for sure, bees will not drink where there is no water. The question is where they will go in the meantime, and will they return to the neighbors’ fountain when we start it up again in a couple of weeks or so. Stay tuned.