Provide a constant water source
Honey bee colonies require a reliable, accessible water source year-round. Water serves multiple functions: cooling the hive through evaporation during summer, dissolving crystallised stores for winter cluster feeding, diluting honey for larval nutrition, and supporting metabolic processes. A colony needs approximately 0.5–1 litre per day in summer and more than 2 litres during heat waves. In Denmark, providing an adequate water source is a legal obligation under national beekeeping regulations.
Water sources must be established before the first spring foraging flights, as bees imprint on the first water source they discover and return to it persistently — even if it is a neighbour's swimming pool or a contaminated puddle. Sources should be placed 8–10 metres from the apiary and must remain consistent in position throughout the season.
Germany and Austria (identical texts) describe a winter water solution: 1:1 sucrose syrup placed directly above the brood nest provides accessible water during February–April when outdoor sources are frozen or inaccessible. Croatia recommends a simple DIY waterer made from a jar with a notched neck inverted on a plate, set out before the first warm days so bees establish it as their primary source.
Warnings: May depend on the regulations in force in the given country.
Please check out the B-THENET Platform for the Best Beekeeping Practices tailored to each country in the national language, co-developed with practicing beekeepers in the National B-THENET Centres of those countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).
BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING
Ongoing | 2022-2026
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden