Bees are our most important garden pollinators and help keep our gardens beautiful and blooming all year around. Collecting pollen can be thirsty work, especially in the summer months when bees are most active and need shallow baths of water.
At Northcote Central Kindergarten, they have created their own bee baths from recycled pāua shells secured to a wooden post. The pāua shells collect shallow amounts of rainwater and provide a perch for the bees to land on and to drink. They also provide a place for butterflies and ladybugs to drink too!
Creating a bee bath is fun and simple project that you can do at home:
Materials:
- Pāua shells
- A piece of wood
- Nails
- Freshwater/rainwater
- Find a shady and protected area in your garden to place the wooden post
- Place the pāua shell onto the wooden post and drill in a nail to secure
- Add fresh water or wait for rainwater
If the water evaporates, refill your bee bath as required. You can move the post around your garden/yard.
Helpful tip:
You can recycle old plates or use an upside down plant pot as well! Make sure these are water safe and add small stones to act as a landing pad, but do not submerge the rocks as the bees may drown.
