Honeybees and Pool Water

[PBLsQuad450]

Just want to leave behind something that has worked... I had/have issues with Honeybees coming to my pool for water. I read up and tried a few things, so first off, don't bother with offering an alternative source, I have a pond back in the woods behind my pool area. They still come to my pool. Their nest was in between the pond and pool in a hollow in a tree. I initially didn't want to go after the nest because honeybees weren't doing so well, at least around here. Or so I thought. I called a few local bee keepers and they didn't want the hive, or the trouble getting it from so high up in a tree.

Tried this now three years running and I am happy to say, by and large it works. Of course nothing is 100% perfect and you may still have some visitors. Two things though... One, if the bees are dipping on the surface frequently or landing on the ladder to gather water then human/bee contact
is inevitable and it will most likely result in stung humans. Second, I thought I was done with this when a Cat 1 hurricane blew up their tree last August (28). I don't know where their hive is this year but they have come back.

Be patient. Simple! I hang out with a Badminton racket and simply kill lots and lots of them. I have not been stung doing this either. You will need to kill a bunch. Believe it or not, they actually learn that their workers that go here for water don't return, they get the certain death nature of the
mission and stop sending more workers. They have not swarmed or done anything but stop coming. I read this suggestion posted a Professor of Entymology at Rutgers. He said that you will absolutely NOT effect the health of the hive. It is far too few bees, even if you kill 30-40 (a hundred...) to effect the nest.

I like simple eco-friendly ideas! No pesticides and no destruction of the nest! Just figured I would pass it along.

[sunlove]

Good idea! I wonder if this works with yellow jackets also. Usually I just try to drown them in the net, but they take forever to drown. I think the yellow jackets have scared off all our honey bees because I don't see them any more

[PBLsQuad450]

I mostly use my flat net and I scoop out yellow jackets, turn it upside down over top of them and step on them (unless I am barefoot, then I use the edge of my always near badminton raquet). They don't seem to come in the constant numbers the honeybees do. And, it was the talk around here that honeybees were nearly gone, then they just all of a sudden came back in healthy numbers? Cool.

[aylad]

This method works pretty well with horseflies, too--and they're easier to hit

[Watermom]

This method works pretty well with horseflies, too--and they're easier to hit

I HATE horseflies! Thankfully, we seldom see any but when we do, it makes me not want to be in my pool. Those suckers bite!!

[aylad]

Those suckers bite!!

Not after you hit them with a badminton racquet!!

Jan