A couple of days ago, during a really hot day, we noticed a few insects hovering around us and - honestly I can't tell you how exactly we figured out, but we just realized they were thirsty!
Some cues may be though; insects hovering around where you are sitting and not around flowers; they may be on the ground near some drops of whatever water had been spilled, or just trying to get into your drinks.
The other cue is a really hot day, so there aren't that many signals to wait for to understand that they need water!
Just look at your garden and observe where there may be accessible water for such tiny creatures; unfortunately not that many in our modern ways of living.
A bucket of water or any kind of puddle won't really do; insects are very good at drowning; the proportion is similar to us needing to hop into a really deep and wide lake to just have a few sips: you want to be at ease while you quench your thirst, not spending all the energy you have left to keep yourself over water during that.
So you might have figured out by now they need something to hold on to; or even some thing to just stand on while they drink.
That's where watering stations can be a huge blessing for all the insects that are passing through and pollinating your garden.
There are a zillion ways to create such stations, and that's what's beautiful about it; there are just a few important details to consider, and for the rest it is all up to you and your creativity to create a little oasis for them to tank energy.
On that note; I find it fascinating that everything that is alive needs water. How crazy is that; we are all connected through our need for water, otherwise no life.
And us as humans, having way more range than those tiny little beings, can really make it so much easier for them by just a couple of minutes of a quick set-up!
Since it felt quite urgent when we noticed especially a couple of bees roaming around for a drop of water, I remembered that I had found a few old plates in the summerkitchen that we had started to clean out a few days before. Those plates were a little worn out and one was even broken, so I had left them there until we found a way to repurpose them. Well that moment had clearly arrived!
The plates not being too deep (there was one "flat" plate and four supper plates) were the perfect depth that I felt was safe enough for no major accidents. I also gathered a couple of stones and gemstones I found laying around and started with the mission.
Then I remembered that we had brought many shells along; I'm very fond of shells and love to use them for decoration but evenmore for functional use; this endeavor seemed like the right opportunity to use those; they could be like islands and bring a true magical touch to the atmosphere!
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Next, it's important to add in some emergency "ropes", branches are a great way for that, they should stick out of the water so that in the worst case the insects can hold onto them and work their way out of the water in case they fall in. I suppose it's the best material that they are all designed to grip on to, many human-made materials are not so safe I guess as they may slip or not really have a good grip. Now that I think of it, long stiff feathers may be a great option too!
When that is covered, you can saturate the entire pool; stones, treebarks, anything really that will make it full enough with platforms and places to stand on and get to the water.
It's worth remembering that insects don't drink by the glass, most of them lick it so there doesn't really need to be much space for the water; so you can really have fun with filling it up with as much as you want; some have it full of pebbles which is a simple and efficient solution too.
I always like to add some flowerheads as well; it really brings some vibrancy to the entire station, and often it helps to attract them to the place; consider it your signage, as we can't write it out to them in plain letters ;)
I also ditched the branches from the pictures before and replaced them with a lot of branches of the peach tree that we had pruned and were full of flowers!
Finally, you can add the water! Make sure that it is shallow and that all the elements are above it!
Also, they tend to prefer rainwater or water that stood outside for a bit, so in our case I added water from the tap, but it seems they only started drinking the day after when it was 'old' and when the rain filled it up they really enjoyed it!
And then, you can enjoy the beautiful spectacle of them coming to drink from your own DIY station, it's really a joy to witness!
Now look at those bees sticking out their tongues and licking the water, that sight is just adorable!
And here the full video I shot, the vibrancy of life, those are real magical moments to me!
As a recap, this is what to keep in mind;
Use as many platforms as possible, you want those to be over the waterlevel, stones, shells, treebarks, even flowers as they mostly float on top of the water!
Emergency exit: usually branches that are one end in the water and the other end on the rim, so that when someone falls into the water they can have a grip at the branch and come up again out to the edge. Feathers should be a great option too!
Decorate to your fancy; but use natural materials for best energy! You'll be surprised at the abundance of materials you can find in your garden and in nature to be beautiful and super functional!
Just remember to refill it regularly, especially when there is no rainfall, it may be daily during summer days, but it's a joy to walk through to each of them and see who might be having a drink at those moments!
Thank you so much for visiting!
In case you are new here, we have just moved to Croatia and invested all our funds into a traditional property that we are slowly turning into a Bee Sanctuary Oasis!
Every vote on our posts on Hive is directly contributing to this project and will fund many hives, an abundance of flowers and a place where wildlife can reclaim their sovereignty and live magically without interference!
Read & Watch more of our recent posts:
Ϋ πΊ Creating a Nursery in a nomadic setting πΊ First #GardenJournal at the Sanctuary! Ϋ
Ϋ Bee Sanctuary Diaries - 18th April Update Ϋ
Ϋ Bee Sanctuary Diaries - 15th April Update Ϋ
Ϋ Bee Sanctuary Diaries- Indoor Tour Ϋ
Ϋ Fine Functional Art - NFT's that Matter Ϋ
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And more details about our vision here
Many thanks from the bottom of my heart,
KPHI
