However, drinking water for bees is also necessary as a feeder. If in the summer a natural reservoir, which is located close, can help out, in winter and spring the care of the water supply to the hive lies on the beekeeper. Basic requirements for drinking water
A bee is a small insect that cannot swim, depending on the ambient temperature. At the same time, each bee flies by itself and does not arrive at a watering place at a signal. This means that warm, clean water should always be available, but at the same time the bee must be on a solid platform, taking out water, not falling down and not drowning.
Drinkers for bees can be arranged for each hive and be called individual, or be common to the apiary. Individual, family drinkers are used in small apiaries. The main condition is that by the time of the exhibition the hives should work, otherwise the bee will find a source of water elsewhere.
Drinkers can be external and internal. Internal call devices placed in the hive so that you can control the level and add water without disturbing the bees. An example of a drinking bowl for bees with your own hands can be a video about the universal drinking bowl of Milenina:
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About their own amount of drinking water for bees
About 50 liters of water are used in a total drinking bowl for 20 families. Actually organize its filing so as to fulfill all the conditions. An open space is chosen so that the sun maintains the temperature of the water during the day. From the wind, the bee drinker is enclosed with a screen and rises above the ground to a level above 70 cm. In order to create a thin water mirror, various means are used:
- wooden corrugated flooring with a slope:
- flat low capacity, where rafts are spread out on a thin layer of water;
- wide flat tank with water and moss, on which the bees stand and drink;
- is used a fleecy clean fabric, thrown over a container of water, it holds a bee that drinks from the lake in the center.
A wooden grooved board with grooves about 10 cm wide located with a slight incline in the pores will trap moisture, creating a thin layer on a smooth surface, there will be enough water in the grooves. To set the level correctly and adjust the flow - the question is solved.
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You can create a water mirror by dropping a broom of twigs in a container. Then the bees sit on the carp and drink from the lake-basin. Water can flow in an accessible, regulated way from plastic bottles installed in the bracket. However, not every drinking bowl for bees made with their own hands, insects fly. The beekeeper must create a convenient watering device that would be liked by his charges and was easy to maintain.
Particular attention should be paid to the arrangement of an intra-bee trough for winter time. The best design is considered a vacuum drinking bowl. Fill the drinker without opening the hive. It is possible to control the water level.
DIY feeders for bees
Arrangement apiary includes the presence of feeders. Feeding of bees occurs in the hive, and the feeding of the feed is connected with the anxiety of the family. Therefore, the beekeeper chooses the design in relation to existing hives. Buy a finished bee feeder or make a device with your own hands, everyone decides for himself. But an experienced beekeeper knows his bees and will create special comforts for them. From the set of proposed designs, you need to choose one type, and study the drawings and step-by-step instructions.
Varieties of feeders
Feeders of complex construction with verified dimensions of wood are made for installation in the hive. Usually use the ceiling feeder, which is installed under the pillow. Drawings of such devices are easy to find, the community of beekeepers happily shares the finds. An example of a successful construction of a feeder for bees with your own hands can be a video:
See also: Diseases of bees: signs, drugs for treatment and preventive measuresShe mates with 17 drones for 2 days of flying and saves sperm for fertilization, using it sparingly. If the larva develops from an unfertilized egg, it will be a drone. Often used feeder from plastic bottles. Plastic is easy to process. It is light and transparent. From it you can make ceiling and external feeders. Sometimes these same devices are used as drinkers. Ceiling fixtures are made of flat plastic bottles of dark color. Install them in advance so as not to disturb the bees and not to let the cold into the hive. For external feeders, you can use light cans. The feed is dosed into the chute attached to the hive. Through the transparent walls can be seen as the power decreases.
Or maybe it is better to buy ready-made feeders, developed by designers, such as Cornflower or Frame Feeder? Experienced beekeepers are trying to equip the apiary with their own hands and slowly make new adaptations for their nurses. This saves money, allows you to equip the apiary to your liking.
DIY Bee Drinker - Video