It's not just us humans and the “big” animals who suffer from the summer heat. Insects, including of course bees, also get thirsty and desperately look for a little water. And after all their hard work, they really deserve it, don’t you think? If you are still looking for a new, original decoration for your garden, a bee trough might be just the thing. Because with it you not only get a pretty eye-catcher, but you also do something good for the insects. And who knows, maybe a little bird will even stray into the garden every now and then to cool off pleasantly. If this is your first time reading about a bee trough, you're probably curious. Today we would like to show you, using various examples, how you can easily build a bee trough. In addition to the instructions, you will also receive some important tips.
Benefits of bee drinking
The bee drinker is not only beneficial for the bees. You too can get some peace of mind with their help. As soon as it is dry for several days, the bees no longer have enough nectar and try to find liquids elsewhere. This leads to the bees making themselves comfortable at the pets' drinking bowls or at the faucet in the garden, at the children's pool or the rain barrel. Of course, this increases the risk of being stung, especially for children. However, if you build and set up a bee trough, you can specifically lure the bees away from these water sources. Especially when you are in the gardenbreed bees yourself, you can avoid trouble with the neighbors by having enough water troughs. Bees not only use the water to drink, but also to keep their hive cool.
What is needed?
The container
Fortunately, it is an extremely simple taskDrinker for beesto build and supply them with water in this way. Basically, all you need is a container and some decorative stones. A bowl or a slightly deeper plate is best suited as a container. The material doesn't matter. Porcelain, clay and metal are all suitable. However, metal that will rust should not be used. Plastic should also be avoided when building a bee trough, as it has been proven that microparticles are released into the water.
Landing sites
You can use gravel or smaller river stones as stones when building the bee trough. Also glass stones, which are used, among other thingsSetting up aquariumsare suitable and even look very elegant as they sparkle and glitter beautifully in the sun. You can also combine the stones with other things as you like, such as bark, sticks or shells, while wood floats wonderfully on the water. The same applies to corks. Moss, in turn, ideally absorbs moisture and then releases it again, which benefits the bees. All of these things serve to protect the bees from drowning. The water should not be too deep, as the bees could quickly slip and then drown. On the whole, natural materials are preferable to artificial ones like plastic. Here is a summary of a list of suitable things:
- Stones (gravel, gravel, river stones)
- mussels
- Snail shells
- sticks and bark
- Moos
- Glass stones
- Corks (whole corks or sliced)
- Pine cones
Build hanging bee troughs
For this effective bee drinker you will need yarn, a glass bowl or a round baking dish, small pebbles and a wreath made of twigs (e.g. a vine). You are also welcome to make a wreath yourself. But if you're in a hurry, just get a ready-made one. The inner diameter of the wreath should be slightly smaller than that of the baking dish so that the dish cannot slip through the wreath. You build the bee trough in the following way:
First cut four pieces of equal length from the yarn. You choose the length yourself, depending on where you want to hang the drinker and how low you want it to hang. You can then build the bee trough straight away. To do this, tie the twine around the wreath. Maintain approximately the same distance between the four points. You can tie the other ends together at the top. You can now hang up the wreath. Then place the baking dish in it and distribute the stones in it. Now you can add water. Because the shape is not fixed in the wreath, it can be easily removed and cleaned every day.
Idea with vintage plates on a stand
You can use any vintage plate for this idea. This can be a unique piece from the flea market or a plate that you still have in the attic or you can buy a special plate that fits. New plates with interesting designs are also offered. This should be neither too shallow nor too deep. If you want to build this bee trough, you will also need:
- Cable pipe or conduit made of metal or PVC (approx. 2.5 cm diameter, desired height plus 30 to 75 cm that are inserted into the ground)
- a wooden stick/dowel (30 cm long) – It should fit easily into the pipe, but not be loose
- Glue
- Glass stones of any color
If you want to build this bee trough, first take the pipe and use your own strength to push it as deep into the ground as you can. Then take a small piece of pipe (alternatively a piece of wood or something similar), hold it on top of the large pipe and use a hammer to drive it into the ground as deep as you want. The smaller piece is used to protect the large pipe from the hammer blows. This way it won't be damaged. Then put some glue in the middle of the bottom of the plate and place the wooden stick on top. Now let the glue dry in peace, as recommended by the manufacturer. Then you can put the plate and the rod into the tube, distribute the glass stones in the plate and fill with water. You're done!
With lantern
A bee trough is a great project if you still have some old decorations and would like to reuse them. For example, a lantern that has been in a box for a long time is suitable. You can combine this lantern with a fruit bowl that you haven't used for a while but don't want to throw away. Additionally, if you want to build this bee trough, get some strong glue and spread it on the bottom of the lantern. Then attach the fruit bowl to it. Once the glue has dried, you can fill the shell with shells (or anything else you like, like corks, stones, or marbles) and add water.
Idea for a homemade terracotta container
If you also want to make a container yourself, you can do this with a terracotta or clay pot for flowers and a large saucer. For this purpose, the plate is simply glued to the small pot. The frame can then be sprayed with any color. It is best to ask the hardware store about suitable glue and spray paint. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly for at least 24 hours. Then you can go ahead and build the bee trough as we explained earlier.
Choose the ideal location
After you build a bee trough, you should of course also find the perfect location. This is ideally located in a sunny location and will be illuminated by the sun in the morning. This is important because the bees prefer warm water so as not to get cold. The location should be as warm as possible and, above all, windless. The sooner you set up the water point, the better. Because then the bees have the opportunity to get used to the location and always know exactly where to find it. It is therefore best to put a watering trough in the garden in spring, as soon as the bees make their first flights. Afterwards, you always have to make sure that the bowl is filled. Otherwise, the bees will find another water source and may not return to yours as quickly.
Which water is best?
In principle, tap water is suitable. And even though bees don't like tap water that much, they'll certainly be grateful for it on hot days. However, if tap water contains a lot of chlorine, it attracts bees. That's why they like drinking from the pool so much. But that doesn't mean that you should enrich the water with chlorine. It's better to stick with the composition that comes straight from the tap. Bees like to drink rainwater. So if you have a rain barrel, you can also take the water from it and fill the container after you build the bee trough.
Although sugar (not brown sugar!) and honey in the water attract bees, you should not put any of them in the waterer. On the one hand, honey carries the risk of spreading diseases typical of bees. But the sweet water can also lead to arguments between the bees. If you still want to do more than just fill the trough with water, you can also enrich the water with salt after you have built the bee trough. A quantity of 1 teaspoon of salt applies to 10 liters of water. Other minerals can also be added. Healing clay, for example, is very popular. If you are unsure about enrichment, you can simply ask a beekeeper for advice.
Care tips
Like the bird bath used for bathing and drinking, a bee trough should be well maintained and cleaned regularly. After all, what's the point of providing the bees with water if instead of doing them any good, it spreads germs. If the watering trough is not kept clean, this is exactly what happens: Diseases can be spread and stagnant water is also the perfect breeding place for mosquitoes, meaning that mosquitoes can also multiply in this way in your garden. However, changing the water and cleaning the container and stones will prevent all of this. So it's no use if you build a bee trough but don't take good care of it afterwards.
Decide on the purchased version
If you like the idea of setting up a bee trough in the garden but don't really feel like building one yourself, you can simply buy a finished model. There are a wide variety of models on the Internet that you can order and then display in your garden bed, on the terrace or on the balcony. There are both standing and hanging versions, so you are guaranteed to quickly find a suitable model. The potion is the ideal addition to the insect hotel that you also havebuild yourselfcan.
