As summer approaches and the spring heat grows hotter, it is always a positive measure to give bees and other small creatures a water source! We have a great one pictured here from one of our friendly bee keepers @wendynolte .
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How do you make an appropriate water source for pollinators you ask? Start with a bowl, planter bottom, saucer, or bird bath. Collect rocks of different sizes. If you collect them from areas that you’re not sure are pesticide free, soak them in a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water overnight and rinse thoroughly.
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Arrange the rocks in your shallow- but wide bowl. Make sure that there are big rocks and small rocks mixed in with one another—the bees need rocks to stand on to access the water.
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Fill the bowl with fresh water so the rocks are half covered. Place the bowl outside in your yard. If you have a flower garden, we recommend you place the bowl in the garden or close to it. Bees have a hard time finding fresh water so if you place it near an area where they normally travel to you make it easier for them to find!
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If you have a deeper bucket- fill close to the brim of the bucket with water. Then add an ample supply of corks (such as wine corks), which will float above the water line and produce a floating surface for pollinators to land and drink from! Have fun friends & remember to do your part to 🐝the change!
Fun fact Friday!
Bumblebee Warriors
In line with honey bees, bumblebees are also very important pollinators! Without bumblebees we would not have many of the fruits, vegetables and wildflowers that we all love so much!
Almost every tomato in the world is pollinated by bumblebees as they need to be 'buzz pollinated'. In Australia, where there are no native bumblebees, tomatoes are all pollinated by hand, using something that looks like an electrical toothbrush which 'buzzes' them.
What is buzz pollination you ask?
Buzz pollination is a technique used by most bumble bees, to release pollen-which is more or less firmly held by the anthers (the part of the flower that holds the pollen). In order to release the pollen, bumblebees and some species of solitary bees are able to grab onto the flower and move their flight muscles rapidly, causing the flower and anthers to vibrate, dislodging pollen. This resonant vibration is called buzz pollination. The honeybee cannot perform buzz pollination..