Water for the Honey Bees 1.22.15

I can always tell when it is starting to get dry around here. The Honey Bees really start gathering at the bird bath.

I pull the algae that grows in it over the side for them to sit on. It siphons the water over the edge and waters the plants below.

I think these girls are so beautiful.

When I am out here taking pictures or video they buzz all around me. I am usually in one of their lines of flight. They don’t bother me. I just have to be careful if one gets caught in my hair. When I do…I go get a comb instead of using my fingers. It saves the bee and I don’t get stung.

It isn’t very pretty….but it keeps the bees from drowning.

Pretty doesn’t count unless it is the bees, raccoons, armadillos etc.

I think the two bees with the yellow fuzz on their backs may be young bees.

I think the constant contact in the hive…walking over each other must wear some of the fuzz off.

Not all the Honey Bees at the bird bath are from my hives. I would imagine most are.. but there are several swarms out there that came from my hives and they know where the bird bath is.

The bees each have their own jobs. These are water bees and they can work right around that flower and never bother with it.

I am able to watch the Painted Buntings come to the feeder…

and my beehives at the same time while having coffee in the morning. My “blue” hive is on the left of the Top Bar Hive and right behind the Jatropa bush. I had to remove a few leaves so I could see the hive entrance.

I love the birds…the bees…the bats…and the butterflies that come here…and all the furry little critters too.

Here’s a little video of the “bee fountain”.