Drought and Bees Part II

The pump on the small pond in the front yard clogged and would not run no matter how much I tried to clear it. I ended up taking it apart and finding some tough strands of organic material around the impeller. Clearing that, and adding screen housing to the filter body, I had gotten the pump going again over the birdbath fountain.

The occasional stray bee was noted immediately after the fountain began running. And when the fountain had stopped, so did the bees. It seems that they are attracted to running water. Maybe they can hear the fountain. Now that the fountain has been running for several days, I am getting up to 10 bees or so at a time. But I’m not getting the 50 or more bees at a time my neighbor was getting.

Getting water seems to be risky business for bees. If they actually get in the water they will drown. So the trick is to get close enough to drink, but stay far enough away to prevent drowning. Bees unfamiliar with a water source, it seems, will circle and examine the site very closely. One presumes that they must go back to the hive and signal the availability of water. But who knows. In the picture below we see one of the bees drinking water from the fountain.

Bees can get sick just like humans. We know that they are afflicted with viruses, from time to time, just as we are. I would assume that water can be a vector for disease with bees. I would also think that cleaner water would be healthier for bees, and that they would be more attracted to cleaner water. As such, it probably makes sense, from a survival standpoint, for bees to diversify their water sourcing. If all the bees in a hive went to one source, it could spell disaster. Whereas, with nectar, monoculture might not pose any substantial risk in the middle of a strong flow. Although, in general, bees might benefit as well from a diversity of nectar and pollen sources. But not in the same way as water. It would be interesting to test this hypothesis–that bees might signal water sources in a way to promote diversification of water sourcing.

Incidentally, the water in my fountain smells extremely foul up close. A little bit like an aquarium that hasn’t had its water changed out in a year. And yes, I know what that kind of aquarium smells like from experience!

The backyard fountain has been running consistently. But curiously has not attracted a single bee that I am aware of. It certainly is loud enough. There is some kind of metallic coating to the concrete in the fountain, and maybe this is dissuading my bees. It’s impossible to tell at this point. Another mystery to solve.

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