Any beekeeper-beekeeper knows that a timely and regular drinking regimen plays an important role in maintaining the proper metabolism and normal existence for bees . A drinking bowl for bees is such a device in which you can always find warm and clean water, so necessary for the life of these tireless toilers - producers of honey.
Is it possible?
Beginning amateur beekeepers do not know, and sometimes, perhaps, do not want to burden themselves with additional costs for the purchase and construction of these drinking bowls. They consider natural reservoirs located not far from the apiary to be a sufficient condition for satisfying the vital drinking needs of bees. It is noticed that sometimes striped in search of water can fly even large distances. But in the future, because of this, a significant minus will definitely appear, which will not allow bee families to be kept intact: from excess energy costs for flights to saturate the body with water, a case of bees can occur, which, accordingly, will entail losses in the beekeeping industry.
And even a drinking bowl for bees, finally built after reading useful literature and listening to tips from experienced beekeepers, is unlikely to help you at first. The bees that previously flew to the watering hole on the same route, can hardly get used to the new place. According to the experience of specialists, sometimes this is practically not possible to do, and then the beekeepers, again, are likely to fail.
It is necessary to know
You ask how to teach bees to a drinking bowl? Here are a few guidelines to consider.
- Firstly, it is necessary to engage in the acquisition or construction of a drinking bowl before the onset of warm days, so that the bees immediately discover this innovation with the advent of the new working season.
- Secondly, it is better to place bee drinkers on the sunny side so that the water in them is warmed enough, and not at the intersection with the main direction of flight of the bee colonies.
- Thirdly, in order to achieve an effective result faster, it is necessary to decompose the honeycombs near the drinking device, and also to slightly sweeten the water itself.
Varieties of drinking bowls
The following types of drinking bowls are distinguished by purpose: general use and individual. For their manufacture, materials such as wood, metal, glass, as well as ordinary plastic and plastic are used. In specialized stores, you can quite inexpensively buy ready-made drinker designs with an interesting design. Ceramic drinker for bees is noteworthy. The water from the tap here drops into the drip tray, made in the form of a cone. The groove is made in the form of a spiral along which it flows down a stream.
Homemade drinkers
But still, let's try to collect the drinker on our own, especially since all the tools available to create it literally “roll” under our feet. A self-made designed drinking bowl for bees is a flight of your imagination, and also a considerable saving of your budget. So, let's get started. First, you need to decide: a drinking bowl for bees, what will it be?
Here, for example, there is such a simple device, which is made of a stainless metal container with a mortise tap. It is enough to adapt an inclined board to it, in which small grooves are cut, and feed water on them. Its spreading drops will attract numerous swarms of bees.
Here is another good example of how to build a fairly light and efficient drinker. Pour water into a regular glass jar. We put on the cover, in which we drill several holes and turn it over, while placing it on a pallet. The glass of the jar will be heated by sunlight, the water will be constantly warm, which is important for bees. The advantage of such a drinker over the others is that this design does not require financial costs. It can be easily installed near each hive, but, of course, it is necessary to add water in time and disinfect the container and pallet.
Remote control apiary drinker
But what if the apiary is located far from your home, and you do not have the opportunity to constantly monitor it? In this case, the problem of continuous water supply will help you solve the creation of a valveless drinking bowl. The idea is as follows.
Water is poured into a large container with a pipe connected to it. Water pipes laid along the hives must also be attached to it. An additional small tube with a screw cap is welded to each end of the pipe. To prevent air jams in the system when filling it with water, it is necessary to monitor the density of their closure. Thus, water can be brought to each bee house, even if they are placed at different heights.
Determine which is better
How to make a drinker for bees, you now know. Yes, this may not be a purchase option at all. Although it seems that it’s easier to come to the store, pay and pick up the purchase. But no, we will not look for easy ways and spend money on what can easily be done with our own hands.
Let your homemade bee drinker not be as beautiful as in a store, but, as we know, the result is important in any business. Acquiring experience in caring for smart and hardworking bees, you yourself will find a design option that is suitable for your apiary and, being smart, create an even more unusual and effective drinker.