Bees are amazing creatures that provide us with a priceless ecosystem service: pollination.
When plants are pollinated, they can then set fruit. It would be a time-intensive task if farmers and gardeners had to hand-pollinate each crop on their own.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations shares that the ecosystem services provided by bees is crucial to our global food system.
Bees and other pollinators give:
This scholarly article highlights just a few of the major food crops that bees pollinate:
One way to provide a sanctuary for bees in your backyard is with a bee garden. You can plant flowers and herbs in your garden, and let some of your veggie crops go to seed to provide pollen and nectar sources to bees.
But, you’d be missing one crucial bee necessity if you stopped there: water!
According to UC Davis, pollen and nectar have low moisture content. And bees are just like us: they need to stay hydrated in order to stay healthy.
When you provide water for bees and maintain bee watering stations for them, the same bees will visit your watering station.
You may have heard of how bees communicate with each other about flower sources with their “bee dance butt wiggle.” Well, it turns out that bees also share information about water locations with their friends and family.
UC Davis outlines the following features to keep in mind when providing water to bees:
Now that you know the preferences bees have for how they source their water, you can easily make your own bee water station for your bee garden.
Materials:
Add the stones to the bowl, along with the leaves. Pour water into your bowl, but not too much. You want some of the pebble tops to remain dry.
Add the tiny amount of salt, and place the water for your local bees in a safe spot in your garden.
Make sure your bee water is location that won’t be in the way. Maybe tuck it into an area in a raised bed that won’t be stepped on, or in a quiet corner of the garden without a lot of foot traffic.
Check on your bee watering station frequently. It will require frequent water top-ups during dry summer heat. It will also need to be drained out after rains, so the water level isn’t too high.
Other items that can be repurposed into a bee watering station:
If you want something that adds beauty to your garden while also supporting artisans, you’re in for a treat. There are lots of beautiful handmade and non-toxic bee watering stations out there.
Here are a few of my favorites:
This beautiful handmade sculpture looks like the inside of a flower. It has small divots in it to provide water for the bees without risking them drowning.
I messaged the artisan on Etsy and they confirmed that their pottery is lead-free and cadmium-free.
A handbown glass garden ball for bees adds beauty and ecological function to your garden. These glass orbs come in a deep blue, delicate purple, and sea green.
From the maker: “The textured surface will collect water for bees to drink off of.”
I messaged this artisan and they confirmed that their bee water ball is lead-free and cadmium-free.
This colorful handmade bee watering station also doubles as a butterfly puddler. The artisan shares that the blue, amber, and pink glazes are all non-toxic and food safe.
This artisan has the same product in different colors, and also offers really pretty small dishes in a rose pattern to provide water to bees.
A butterfly puddler will also double as a water source for bees. I love how pretty the thistles look on this pottery. The thistles mean even more when you know that they are a favorite source of food for bees!
Before you go, check out our full guide to bee gardening, with detailed lists of nectar plants and pollen plants, in addition to how to ensure a range of bloom times for optimal bee feeding.
The more we can do for the bees, the better off our environment will be...or bee :)
