Bees at the swimming pool

[swampcat]

The neighbor stops by yesterday, not really complaining but letting me know that bees are visiting his swimming pool.. The kids aren't happy swimming with bees.. Today I got one of those kiddie wader pools set it up about 20 feet from the hives.. put some rocks and boards in it with water.. added some rock salt, and a bee keeper said to add a little beach did that.. but the bees haven't found it yet after most all day being there..

any advice on if I should add anything extra, or bait it to get them interested?

[bk]

Jun 27, 2017 20:03:15 GMT -5 swampcat said:

The neighbor stops by yesterday, not really complaining but letting me know that bees are visiting his swimming pool.. The kids aren't happy swimming with bees.. Today I got one of those kiddie wader pools set it up about 20 feet from the hives.. put some rocks and boards in it with water.. added some rock salt, and a bee keeper said to add a little beach did that.. but the bees haven't found it yet after most all day being there.. 
any advice on if I should add anything extra, or bait it to get them interested?

Once bees find a water source they like, and more often than not it is a swimming pool, it is VERY DIFFICULT to get them to move to a new source.  A fellow beek had success by working with his neighbor to keep the pool covered for a solid week - much easier said than done during a nice warm summer with kids wanting the pool so badly.  Good luck with that. 

As to their new source, it sounds like you have it well set up... and I have no idea why the bees like the bleach but they do.

Let us know how this "challenge" works out.

[Brad H.]

I've heard that bees get addicted to chlorinated water. Maybe it has to do with the germ fighting properties?

Yea I'd try to have them cover the pool, and hope they move to your new source. Good luck!

[farmertrappe]

All I can say is Good Luck.

[swampcat]

Thanks guys, well I reckon anything has its problems to solve.. Took a while to learn where to place traps too..

We'll work on it..

by the way, I saw some videos from a bee keeper B&K is that you BK?

[bk]

Jun 28, 2017 9:06:30 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Thanks guys, well I reckon anything has its problems to solve.. Took a while to learn where to place traps too..

We'll work on it..

by the way, I saw some videos from a bee keeper B&K is that you BK?

Sorry, that isn't this BK.  I have enough challenges trying to take stills while tending my hives.   Keep us posted, swampcat.

[old243]

My bees were going to the neigbours , dog water dish , last year. I have several , chicken waterers  from when I had hens. I filled them up with water, put some stones , for the bees to sit on. Placed them right beside the hives. So far so good. Good luck old243

[swampcat]

I'm getting a few bees in the wading pool now.. I put rock salt in it and a little bleach to begin with, the bleach must be gone by now.. this morning I chipped off a piece of mineral block and scraped that around on the rocks put a little in the water to see if its the minerals in the water they are after.. I'm guessing its the salts in the pool they really want. Heck I'm always trying some experiment or something.. will try to keep up with this to see how it pans out..