# how much water do bees drink?



## Clay (Feb 18, 2011)

My bees get their water from my neighbor's koi pond. He doesn't mind it much, claims they're fun to watch, and I give him honey whenever I get a harvest. But it got me wondering... how many hives would take before they make a noticeable dent in a pool of water? I'm guessing the pond is 6'x12' and a few feet deep. I've never given water to bees before, so I don't know how much they actually drink.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I have been told the bees will drink their weight in water each day. I've not read any official test reports.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

If bee drink their weight in water each day and if a three pound package is 10,000 bees then: A big hive of 80,000 bees would drink 24 pounds of water per day, at 8.33 pounds/gallon or approximately three gallons per day per hive. Each vertical foot of depth in a six by 12 foot pool is equal to 538 gallons. Or 45 gallons per inch. Therefore, using the above assumptions, one hive would lower the pool water level about .07 inches per day. It's insignificant.


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## libhart (Apr 22, 2010)

It was great fun to read your response lazy shooter....I love math.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

libhart said:


> It was great fun to read your response lazy shooter....I love math.


I too love math. I've spent my working career keeping up with fluid volumes in mud tanks on drilling rigs. When drilling if the well is coming to you, as in a potential blowout, the mud volume is increasing. If the mud volume is decreasing the formation is drinking fluid and that too is a bad deal. As a petroleum engineer supervising drilling operations, I have been calculating fluid volumes in odd shaped tanks and pipe sizes for decades.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

8 of my hives were drinking about 2 gallons a day before March 15th. Since the irrigation ditch is full and the 200 acres of alfalfa around my apiary is being irrigated they drink a little less than a gallon a day now.


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## Scrapfe (Jul 25, 2008)

Clay said:


> My bees get their water from my neighbor's koi pond...


Same here.
You shouldn’t feel bad about your bees drinking from your neighbor’s koi pond. Besides drinking your neighbor’s fish pond water, some of your bees are literally feeding your neighbor’s fish. Isn't that called a win win? 

IMHO, a little free honey is well worth having a dependable water source near you, especially a source as natural, as safe, and as dependable as a koi pond, and you don’t even have to maintain it. :applause:


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## Clay (Feb 18, 2011)

lazy shooter said:


> using the above assumptions, one hive would lower the pool water level about .07 inches per day.


Wow! that wasn't lazy math. haha, thanks for the calculations :thumbsup:

Scrapfe - I agree, I think it's a good trade.


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## DLMKA (Feb 7, 2012)

Either way, it's probably less than the evaporation rate on a sunny day.


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## Baldursson (Nov 22, 2011)

hmmmmmmm does 100% of the bees in a hive go out to drink? Do nurse and house bees leave for a sip of water? If not then you would be affecting it even less.


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