# Bees attracted to hot tub and drowning by the hundreds :(



## *stephanie (Mar 20, 2015)

Hello. We had a sad incident today in which when we visited our hot tub, there were about 100 bees floating in it, and they are our bees (98% sure)-- having crawled under the cover. We have two hives placed on a south facing third floor deck (we have bears) above the hot tub, and it is warm enough in Colorado for them to be fairly active during the days now. A quick peek in each hive give the impression that they are healthy and happy. They have sugar mush and syrup in the hives (and their own honey) and water in a dish full of pebbles on the deck.
We fished out the corpses, then went inside and came out an hour later and there were about 200 or so bees on the side of the hot tub and 250 more floating. We took off the cover and turned off the hot tub to air things out in case it was a pheromone that was attracting them. We did notice a single bee fanning as though it was trying to disperse queen pheromone. We also added some bromine to the hot tub which would hopefully cover up any smell that is attracting them. 
Does anyone have any ideas as to what is going on so I can stop the carnage? Thank you.


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## Barhopper (Mar 5, 2015)

Bees love chlorinated water such as pools and hot tubs. You'll have to find where they're getting in the cover and seal it off.


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

From my experience this will nearly be impossible to stop bees from visiting the hot tub (unless it is drained), especially when it has become a known watering hole. It is the time of year that bees visit their watering holes more frequently because the amount of brood being raised. Are they visiting the pebble dish? Perhaps put some hot tub water in the pebble dish? Secure the lid on better, plugging all the cracks and crevices (although they will probably still find there way in)? Yield to their watering hole, & just take the lid off, might have less drowning


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## Chan Rambo (Mar 3, 2015)

I am worried about having a similar issue, some of my neighbors have above-ground pools. My plan was to add some chlorine to my bee-water source to make it smell as "good" to them as a pool. Maybe if you can get your cover sealed up well and then make their dish with pebbles more attractive by making it smell like chlorine ...

Please note that this ^ is pure speculation on my part, not actual "_advice from a person who knows what the heck they are talking about_." I don't even qualify as a newbie yet but I'm hoping if chlorine works for me it will work for you as well. Or vice versa. :kn:


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Bees are attracted to water that has an _odor _- it likely makes it easier for them to communicate the location of the water to other bees. The chlorine (or other sanitizer) in the hot tub water provides the odor. Also at this time of year, _warm _water is attractive, as cold water cools their muscles to the point they can't fly back to the hive.

So, your alternative water source needs an odor, and warm water is preferable. If you can't heat it, at least put the water in full sun.


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## Barhopper (Mar 5, 2015)

I've used pool water in boardman feeders to slow down the trips to the neighbors pool. Not sure how well it worked but it made me feel better.


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

I've heard that bees don't do very well about communicating about pollen and nectar sources that are very close by to the hive. If that is true does the same hold for communicating about water sources? That could help explain why they go for the pool and not the close by water dish. If so then is it more desirable to have a water source be a few dozens of feet from the hive?


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Stephanie,

I have seen this topic discussed previously on beesource but my searches turned up nothing. I would agree with many of the suggestions already offered. Several additional things are: Bees commonly do not use a water source that is in their apiary but seem to want to fly a ways to the water source. I commonly add a very very small pinch of electrolyte (granular type used for farm animals) (I'll give you a pinch) to the bee's water and sugar syrup. I have tried a salt lick block and OD'd my bees. A bird bath with pebbles in it makes a good watering station. If the tub cover is fabric, can you use a bungee cord to hold the cover in snug?

Steve


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## Beesure! (Apr 24, 2012)

I've heard some were a little lemon grass oil added to your prime water source works. I for one have not tried yet but will this year for I have a 40 ft. pool within eye sight of my out yard.


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## libhart (Apr 22, 2010)

My most popular watering hole (like that term btw fieldsofnaturalhoney) was a gardening tub that had some surplus potting soil in it and then was rained on. The tub of course just collected the water so it was brown mush. The bees went nuts for it. It was probably about 50-75 yards from the hive.


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## BeeAttitudes (Dec 6, 2014)

I just got my first bees last weekend so keep that in mind when you read this.

We have a swimming pool and I live in town. I have 4 acres next to a subdivision and one of the neighbors also has a pool. So I was/am concerned about the bees using the pool. I have a 100 gal horse watering trough about 20 yds from where I placed the hives and I wanted the bees to use it so I thought I would try an attractant to get them started and in the habit of using the water trough. So what attracts bees?.......well, lemon grass oil does so I thought I would give it a shot. I watched a video by FatBeeMan where he "emulsifies" essential oils with water in a blender for treating varroa mites and he claims it stays mixed a long time. So I thought I would try blending 1/2 tsp of lemon grass oil with water then dump in in the water trough and stir it up. It just so happen that right before I started mixing that a package was delivered and it was a bottle of Swarm Commander I had ordered. So I put a couple of squirts of that in there as well before blending.

Blended for 5 minutes with a couple of cups of water then almost filled the blender with water and blended for another minute. Then I went out poured it into the trough full of water and stirred well. You could really smell it. I screwed pieces of pool noodles onto 1 edge of boards and laid them in the water. The pool noodle side is high and it ramps down to the water so they can land and drink.

Well, they are using it. A couple of bees have drowned but they are using it.....at least for now. Hope the habit stays!


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I have read that once bees have found, and used, a water source, they are faithful to it for the rest of their lives - never using another. So one possibility is to drain or fully seal up the hot tub and let natural deaths extinguish their knowledge of the source. Then create are terrifically attractive alternative site, get the new bees focused on that instead of your hot tub. You will probably have to constantly keep the hot tub sealed against bees' finding it again, but perhaps it will be less of a job when their water-interest is focused elsewhere.

My bees have a close-by pond to go to, in addtion to their waterer, but they still love some other small seeps and puddles.

Good luck!

Enj.


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## Pete O (Jul 13, 2013)

My hot tub is only 40 feet from my hives and I've had no problems. However I'm using bromine instead of chlorine; that may be the difference. My cover is a heavy foam filled type and bees could not possibly sneak under it.


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## CircleBee (Mar 3, 2012)

Like Pete O, I too have a hot tub that I use Bromine. I have hives (10) about 50 yards from it and have never had a bee even come close to it. However, I tried switching to chlorine one time in order to use the silver sticks as sanitizer and I did notice bees doing fly bys and landing on my cover. The other thing I used between hot tub and outer cover is a plastic inner cover that is like blue bubble wrap that floats on the surface. You might try one of those (better for your outer cover too) for a better "Seal". I'd think most hot tub stores would sell that stuff. They are definitely attracted to chlorine more than bromine at least in my experience.


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## *stephanie (Mar 20, 2015)

Thank you all for your insight, and yes, Steve, I'll take a pinch!
We have a regular heavy naugahyde encased foam cover on the hot tub- they are squeaking in between the skirt on the corners where the seams are. Today I will take some of the water from the hot tub in a basin with pebbles in the bottom and put it on top of the covered hot tub. If they are still drowning tomorrow, I'll get a blue bubble sheet to lay on the top of the water (husband not thrilled about this option as he uses the hot tub every day). I am so relieved that no-one shared my original concern that I had a flukey spring swarming situation and the queen had drowned!


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## missybee (Sep 6, 2014)

I have 10 ponds from large to small. The bees go to the calmer, algae filled shallow ponds (I leave them that way for the critters, frogs, tads, dragon flies) They stay out of the well circulated, less smelly (to a bee) bigger ponds. They LOVE my bog which filters the ponds, shallow water with a bunch of plants and pea gravel. I have read they like water that smells. 
The pea gravel gives them a landing spot to take a sip from. We have a airport of bees heading for the deck pond. (small slow moving pond)

btw they ignore our hot tub, bromine, and a lot closer to the hives.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Mine are drinking from an old stock tank with water in it that smells like it came from the sewer settling plant. Wanna buy some honey?


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## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

If you want attract your bees to a different water source why not just add a little bit of honey to your watering setup.That would surely attract them.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

Our neighbour put in a hot tub last year and despite multiple other water sources with added salt etc, the bees just wouldn't leave it alone. 100's under the cover and in the filter. In the end we moved the hives out.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

zhiv9 said:


> Our neighbour put in a hot tub last year and despite multiple other water sources with added salt etc, the bees just wouldn't leave it alone. 100's under the cover and in the filter. In the end we moved the hives out.


I cringe at the sight of pools/hot tubs...
One bee yard 300 feet from a yard, he wants bees, loved bees, but bought a hot tub... He ended up building a screened room over top without any complaints to me !


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

If bees are getting under the cover of your hot tub, you are either not putting the cover on correctly, or you need to buy a new cover because the one you have now is worn and not sealing correctly.

I have a hot tub about 100 feet from my hives. The bees love it, but can't get at it when the cover is on. I just don't see how this is happening to other people.


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

We have a small pond right beside the hot tub. Bees love the pond, they land on the lily pads or the rocks on the edges. We've never had an issue with bees at the hot tub, only 2 meters away from the pond.


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## foxC (Feb 4, 2015)

New beekeeper here. How would one make an inground pool safe from bees drowning. 

We have an inground pool and our neighbors bees are always in the bushes surrounding it. Never noticed any drowned bees but never really looked either. We are planning three hives now and this thread got me to thinking the pool might become a watering hole death trap.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

JConnolly said:


> I've heard that bees don't do very well about communicating about pollen and nectar sources that are very close by to the hive. If that is true does the same hold for communicating about water sources? That could help explain why they go for the pool and not the close by water dish. If so then is it more desirable to have a water source be a few dozens of feet from the hive?


I either read or watched something that indicated if the source was relatively close they just broadcast a radius basically. So they don't really have specific directions.


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

foxC said:


> New beekeeper here. How would one make an inground pool safe from bees drowning.
> 
> We have an inground pool and our neighbors bees are always in the bushes surrounding it. Never noticed any drowned bees but never really looked either. We are planning three hives now and this thread got me to thinking the pool might become a watering hole death trap.


The problem is not about drowning several hundred bees, it's about not pissing off your neighbors While they are swimming in their pool. If bees are a nuisance to your need to move your hives. If the bees are only bothering you and your pool, that is ok.


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## bannonb (Aug 24, 2012)

I discovered this last winter. Lost hundreds of bees per week. It was shocking, then the rest died.

This winter my wife bought a decorative mosquito net or whatever they call it. There is a wooden hoop in the middle and lots of netting. Got it at bed bath and beyond. It worked great. Kept all the bees out. I feel better about not being a mass murderer. I'll wait til May to take off the net here in Colorado. They only go for it on warm days in deep winter from what I have found.

On the subject of watering the bees, I got a planter bottom pan and put some rocks in it with a small amount of water. They love this more than the half whiskey barrel within 10 feet of the hive...even with flotation in it.

Go figure!


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## dfortune (Aug 10, 2012)

Skill-it algaecide worked for me.


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