Wild Bee Care

[Andee]

So I have several species of bees that come in and out of our garden, we have tons of flowers and plants that are bees friendly so we have a lot of attractants, we also don't use insecticides.

I have a carpenter colony who actually lives in my wooden awning thing. But lately my carpenter bees and several bumble bees have been doing poorly. Many of them have had to be killed out of mercy because though I try to cool them off with some misting some just don't make it back.

We also are in the middle of summer and since I have seen an increase of bees doing poorly and needing more cooling than they should. I can only assume people don't have their sprinklers or water sources as much as usual, because of the draught we had recently and how a lot of us are still being careful with water. So I am starting to make bee drinking areas. I have a couple reptile bowls and plant saucers that aren't being used, filled with a few marbles or stones and then some water. It will stop them from drowning and give the a safe place to drink. I have places all the pools (a total of six so far) in areas that are mostly shaded all day, so that it stays cooler.

I know our current bee visitors don't need extra nectar or sugars, because we have so many flowers they already have and we don't have a lot of other nectar drinkers. But it's just worrisome... so I am trying to do the little I can.

 

[Decadancin]

I have a waterfall in my back yard and I see wasps, bees, yellow jacks and all types of insects drinking during the day, so that should help. I know bees will buzz their wings at the entrance to the hives to help regulate the temps inside. Have you seen anything like that?

 

[Andee]

I usually get to them (when I am in time to mist) when they are in the midst of a heat stroke from the way they walk etc. But I turn my mister on super fine and have semi-warm water than comes out (so as not to shock their systems) and they usually drink some and after a minute or so the mist they perk up and a few seconds after me hovering just to make sure they don't need anything else they fly off.

Sadly our temps on cool days stay around 85 currently. And my coutry just recently went through a 5 year drought, we are still kind of in the danger zone. So the bees have definitely been taking a tole. And that's even mentioning what pesticides people may and may not use around us.