How to Feed Water to Bees? Detailed Explanation of Correct Methods and Precautions
Bees must collect water to maintain various physiological activities in their bodies, such as the decomposition, absorption, transportation of food, and excretion of metabolic waste. At the same time, feeding larvae, dissolving highly concentrated honey, maintaining suitable temperature inside the hive, and lowering the hive temperature on hot days all require water. The amount of water a colony needs to collect is related to the air temperature and humidity outside the hive, the colony strength, and the amount of brood being raised. A normal bee colony needs to collect 200-300 grams of water per day to sustain life and regulate the temperature and humidity inside the hive. Especially when the brood comb area inside the hive is large and during high-temperature seasons, the amount of water needed is even greater. Moisture mainly comes from the water in nectar and the water collected by some bees when they go out. A single forager bee can collect water up to 50 times per trip, about 25 milligrams each time, and 400 water-collecting bees can collect up to 0.5 kilograms of water per day. When temperatures are low in early spring, some bees that leave the hive to collect water become frozen and cannot return to the hive. When water is lacking during transportation or during the overwintering period, bees become restless and agitated, leading to brood removal, premature aging, and death. During the jujube flowering period, a lack of water can also cause rolled-wing disease and other problems. Therefore, attention must also be paid to feeding water in daily management. The main methods of feeding water are as follows.
In-hive water feeding: In spring, there is a lot of brood in the hive, so more water is needed. Generally, this is combined with stimulative feeding. At night, sugar is placed in the feeder, and during the day, water is placed in it.
Entrance water feeding: Place a water-filled bottle or plastic bag (with the bag opening tied tightly) on the front side of the hive and on the entrance landing board. Use gauze to draw water from the bottle to 1 cm inside the hive entrance. Bees can absorb water from the wet cloth.
Out-of-hive water feeding: Use wooden basins, porcelain basins, clay basins, etc., dig a pit in the ground, line the pit with a layer of plastic film to hold water for bees to collect. Note that some dry small wooden sticks, thin wood chips, and the like should be placed on the water surface to prevent water-collecting bees from drowning.
Feeding propolis water: Propolis is a natural substance that bees collect and bring back to the hive to prevent and treat diseases, and it contains more than 300 components. Bees live and reproduce in a hive with relatively high temperature (34°C-35°C) and high humidity (relative humidity around 75%). The pollen, royal jelly, and honey in the hive can stay fresh entirely because of propolis. In production, bee colonies that collect a lot of propolis rarely suffer from crawling bee disease or chalkbrood disease. During spring water feeding, propolis water can be fed. Its preparation method is: take 40 grams of raw propolis collected at the apiary, crush it, add 100 milliliters of 95% ethanol (food-grade ethanol), shake it thoroughly once a day, and after 9-10 days filter out impurities with gauze; add 5 milliliters of propolis liquid to 100 milliliters of water. Feed continuously for 3 days in combination with water feeding. This can both prevent disease and stimulate bees to become excited and collect more propolis, pollen, and nectar.
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