On Jul 10,  5:38pm, James D Satterfield wrote:
> Subject: Neighbor's Swimming Pool; honeybee nuisance
> My neighbor has a swimming pool about 50 m from my apiary which consists
> of 17 top bar hives.  I have tubs of water for the bees to use near my
> hives.  The bees do pick up water from the tubs which have plants,  a
> concrete block, and mesh screen for the bees to move on when picking up
> water.  The bees also pick up water at two bird baths at the same
> neighbor's house.  There are streams nearby where they can water also as
> well as two lakes within a km.
>
> There may be a hundred or more bees that fly into the pool on a sunny day
> with no pump circulation.  Any suggestions for remedying the situation
> would be appreciated.  I don't like for the bees that I'm keeping to be a
> nuisance for my neighbor...we get along well.
 
 
Hi Jim,
 
If you just put the water out near your hives, it will take about 3 weeks time
for the bees to use this water only and not visit the pool, and even then the
still may not.  I read somewhere (Hive and the Honeybee?) that the old bees
will continue to use the pool until they die off, but the newer ones which
hatch will probably use the closer water source.
 
For faster results, you could relocate the hive, wait about 5 days for the bees
to reorient, and then move it back to your house.  Then they hopefully would
discover the close water source and use it exclusively.  Also, this would show
whether all the bees in the pool are yours.  If bees continued to appear after
moving yours, they would be from another source, which is possible.
 
Good Luck!
 
Kris Bruland
Member of Mt. Baker Beekeepers Association
Bellingham, WA  U.S.A.