# Salt Blocks for Bee's?



## greathorned (Apr 25, 2013)

I heard this weekend of a new Beek who has a salt block in the field. he said after rain, there usually are bee's on it taking in some salt. Is this an oddity, or is it something you can expect in throwing out a salt lick. Next question...is it good for them? Guess all life needs some degree of salt.


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

I have both a salt lick (made from plain table salt in a pile under covered roof ), and I also put salt into my sugar syrup. The bees love it. They do need salt and will search for it quite a bit sometimes. My father has limestone in his driveway that came from the sides of the state road at some point. When it rains the bees like to go lick up the salts. My bees are all healthy as well. I know quite a few that put out salt licks for the bees.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

My bees spend a lot of time on the shores of the ditch where the road salt runs off. At my sons place they spend a lot of time around the pig wallow. I have salt blocks for the horses but maybe that is too concentrated for their taste.


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## labradorfarms (Dec 11, 2013)

I have salt licks out for Deer. I wonder if the Bee's will find them out in the woods? If not I may just put one near the hives.
Im up for anything that will help the Bee's.


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

An old beekeeper once told me that if you are out around your hives and the bees are landing on you for no reason they are looking for salts. As you sweat you loose salt through your skin, this is what the bees want. I have found that when my bees run out of salt, they do start doing that. So now I keep salt out for them all season long. The old beekeeper's suggestion to me was just put out table salt for them in a dry spot and they will use it. Pack water to it to dilute it and use it from there. 

I read a paper someone had written a while back suggesting that iodine would help the bees as well. So I figured plain table salt would do both tricks. We'll see I guess.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

And I thought I was handsome enough when a bee landed on my index finger to start licking on a
hot summer day. Now I know I should of limit my sodium intake. 
So how much salt to add in the syrup? Is rock salt or sea sale o.k. for them too?


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

I usually put about a tablespoon full into a 3 gallon mix. I use just normal Iodized Morton Salt like you use for cooking. I buy it at WalMart for .99 for a box of it. I use it in the dry feeder and the syrup. I don't get buzzed or licked on while sweating outside. lol. My wife used to prior to giving them salt.


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## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

I have been putting vinegar in my sugar water to give it some acid. Would the salt neutralize the vinegar?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I always have mineral blocks out for the horses. I've never seen a bee interested in them...


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

http://m.livescience.com/43103-bees-taste-with-feet.html


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

dsegrest said:


> I have been putting vinegar in my sugar water to give it some acid. Would the salt neutralize the vinegar?



No. Salt will not neutralize an acid.


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

I had mineral blocks in my bee yards for a year and never seen a bee on them waste of mineral blocks.


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

Do will salt blocks do the trick out table salt works better?


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## beefarmer (May 2, 2010)

I think I saw it on fat beeman video, he sets a cinder block out in the bee yard and puts the small 4 lb salt block in the cinder block hole to protect it a little from rain. going to try this next summer.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Can't say I've ever seen many on the brown mineral blocks but but I have seen them on white salt blocks and they also like to hit the bare spot where I killed the grass peeing off the porch


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

Harley Craig said:


> Can't say I've ever seen many on the brown mineral blocks but but I have seen them on white salt blocks and they also like to hit the bare spot where I killed the grass peeing off the porch


LOL.. :lpf: Couldn't help but to want to ask... Not a Diabetic are you? Bees are drawn to the salt for sure, but if you're a diabetic and it's out of control you excrete excess glucose with your pee too. ..


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

No but my wife puts more sugar in the sweet tea she makes than I do in 2:1 syrup so it wouldn't surprise me if I didn't pass some glucose even though I'm not diabetic. I'm not about to taste it to see if it's sweet though lol


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

LOL.. Sometimes it's funny how alike people are without knowing it.. My family calls my wife's sweet tea "Diabetic Tea" cause if you drink it, you're sure to get dibetes.. 

Myself I stay away from it. Got enough problems with glucose..


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Ha ha I drink it but she NEEDS it lol ...first thing she does when she walks in from work is pour herself a tall glass take a sip and says ahhh I was starting to "Teatox"


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

labradorfarms said:


> I have salt licks out for Deer. I wonder if the Bee's will find them out in the woods? If not I may just put one near the hives.
> Im up for anything that will help the Bee's.


We have a brown mineral block (salt with some other minerals) out for the deer and other wildlife. Male butterflies need minerals and like puddles near the mineral block. I broke off a handful of gravel-sized pieces, and put one or two in the poultry-waterer each time I refill it for the bees. We noticed more bees using it as soon as we started adding the salts.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

What about the brown mineral salt blocks sold for the rabbits? Are they good for the bees too?


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

The brown mineral blocks according to HC in post above says he's not seen the bees on that type of mineral block. However salt is another question all together. They do like salt for sure.


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

Harley Craig said:


> Can't say I've ever seen many on the brown mineral blocks but but I have seen them on white salt blocks and they also like to hit the bare spot where I killed the grass peeing off the porch


Man, ain't great to live in the country? :thumbsup:


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Tim KS said:


> Man, ain't great to live in the country? :thumbsup:


Who said anything about living in the country ?


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## Stansuch99 (Feb 1, 2014)

I had a Red salt block "97% salt 3% iron i do believe" sitting out on a tote lid and i always seen my bees gathering from the water in it. Not as much as the pond but i feel if they are taking it they must need it. Until the day i am able to talk to them i will simply keep giving them what they take.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I have both white and red blocks out for the horses. The bees have never taken an interest in either one. But I guess they are there if they want them...


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## Stansuch99 (Feb 1, 2014)

Michael Bush said:


> I have both white and red blocks out for the horses. The bees have never taken an interest in either one. But I guess they are there if they want them...


I have never seen them touch the salt block but after the rain they went for the salt water. Try placing one in a shallow container so it can collect water that is the way mine went for it.


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## jennSAL (Jan 6, 2014)

Since we see so many of them on a red/brown cord in the salt water pool I put red rags and beads and strings in their water container. This year I added salt- the pool salt- to one of their water tubs. They prefer it over the unsalted one now but still see a lot of bees at the pool- especially at a spot with damage to the poolwall/chrome hook attached with the red cord on it (holding a device stationary there). I will crush and add egg shells to their salt water tub in case they also want calcium. Not gonna give 'em chrome!


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## jennSAL (Jan 6, 2014)

I'll add some table salt next time in case iodine is also appreciated.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

I was chain sawing wood this weekend and bees kept coming to the fresh cut logs and gathering something from that. I guess the moisture or sap. It was notable how that interested them. I forgot about the salt for bees. I may have to try putting some out and see if it attracts them. It is amazing how fast they come for something and tell friends when it is something that they want.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Interesting... I've never seen a bee in our cows mineral salt trough.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Been raining off and on the last week and the bees are hitting my pee spot pretty good again


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Harley Craig said:


> Been raining off and on the last week and the bees are hitting my pee spot pretty good again


Is that a selling point for your honey? :lpf:


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## doglover (May 10, 2016)

Harley Craig said:


> Can't say I've ever seen many on the brown mineral blocks but but I have seen them on white salt blocks and they also like to hit the bare spot where I killed the grass peeing off the porch


I had a sealed new bag of garden dirt by the deck that my dogs have peed on over the winter. The bees love to light on that bag and lick up the salts and minerals left behind. I used up that dirt, and put another one by the deck. They are doing the same thing once the dogs peed on THAT bag.


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