How much water do bees need to survive?
What is the use of water for bees? What is their requirement?
Bees, like any living thing, are made up of a high percentage of water. Water is a primary necessity for the survival of any species.
Bees use water for various activities inside the hive. In fact, water works as a diluting substance for the nutrition of the larvae and helps the bees with thermoregulation activities.
Who collects the water for the hive?
The foraging bees bring in hive all the substances the swarm needs. In addition to nectar and pollen, the bees involved in the collection also carry small drops of water at a time.
The work of dipper bees is however very dangerous and most of them risk drowning. In addition to this, pollution and the use of harmful substances in the environment has greatly contributed to weakening the swarms. Many bees during the harvest come into contact with harmful or toxic substances and are unable to return to the hive.
Bees prefer dirty water to clean water, did you know that?
Bees need water rich in mineral salts . Although it may seem strange to us humans, bees prefer water from stagnant pools. This is because dirty water contains sources deriving from organic residues and therefore guarantees the bees the substances they need.
When do bees use water?
Bees use water for different reasons. The first is certainly the production of larval porridge . When the larvae need to be fed, the bees dilute the food with water so that the larvae can receive the right balance of liquid and solid substances for their development.
With the appearance of the first blooms, the nectar will contain a higher level of humidity that will not require the use of water to produce the nourishment intended for the larvae.
Water is also very important for thermoregulation activities . Achieving a stable temperature is the key to a hive's survival.
During the winter, bees are able to heat up forming a glomere or an accumulation of nearby bees that, through particular vibrations, manage to warm up.
During the summer period however, the only way that swarms have to cool the hive temperature is to use water. The bees' need for water in the summer is really high.
Water is used as a film. The bees spread it evenly on the capsules and also on the edges of the cells and then let it evaporate.
Through this process, the bees create air currents that are able to reduce the temperature in the hive.
What beekeepers do to help bees in the summer
Beekeepers need to consider the needs of their bees very carefully. If the apiary is located in places particularly far from water sources, it is very important to help the bees during the summer.
To do this, you will need to purchase drinkers for bees from which the swarms can draw water. These containers are specially built to prevent bees from drowning while collecting water . Usually beekeepers place these water sources at an adequate distance from the hive. The bees will find the water resource and draw water from there. There is no need to place the drinking trough too close to the apiary.
Through some studies it has been shown that bees are able to identify water through smell and not through the visual analysis of spaces. Water sources should therefore have particular smells capable of attracting bees. The smell of wet earth or aquatic plants is more likely to attract bees than a clean water source.
A greater distance from the apiary will then help the foragers to better explain to the rest of the swarm which direction to go. Positioning the water source too close to the apiary, on the contrary, could create difficulties for bees in indicating the direction in which to move for harvesting.
Many beekeepers create drinking troughs themselves, providing bees with containers full of water with floating surfaces that allow bees to access the water without risk drowning.
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