Tuesday, February 2, 2021

winter water foraging 2020

 

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I consistently see bees gathering water in an overturned bucket on sunny winter days when temperatures almost reach 50 °F. This unplanned mucky water supply is in their collective bee memory, they return to this location whether water is present or not. The neighbor's hot tub is another favorite location - bees learn and develop water foraging habits most likely based on:

  • water mineral qualities
  • sunny dry landing area
  • ice free winter dependability

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