Ever since we made our fountain and set it up in our courtyard bees have been a part of it. Through the summer we joked that the bees must have an Olympic size swimming pool somewhere close-by that they are filling up.
I know how much we need the bees, so I let them be. Well, unless they invade my space then we might have a little conversation…that may not always end up well for them.
We have watched different types of bees drink from the fountain. Yellow Jackets and Bumble Bees and Honey Bees as well.
Usually there are up to a dozen bees drinking at once. The Yellow Jackets seemed to drink quickly then fly away and then repeat. They have now disappeared…for which we are grateful. 😉
This week we have had a small swarm of bees drinking from the fountain. They seem to drink slowly before flying off only to return for more. Not the bees that have been with us through the summer and so many of them that I wondered if they were just flying through. No idea if that is what they do or not.
We noticed this as we were eating lunch outside the other day. Yes, dining alfresco in December…got to love it. Anyway, the fountain is just off our covered patio, so we had a front row seat. I went over to take a few photos, but the bees didn’t seem very happy about me being so close and there were more of them than me. So, I shot some short videos and snapped some photos but not as close up as I would have liked. But if I expect them to respect my space then I should do the same.
We realized that because we haven’t had any rain since October there are very few sources of water for them. Let alone running water. Do bees prefer running water? They don’t seem interested in our birdbath at all.
Weird…this morning I went out with my telephoto lens to get some photos and of course because I now wanted to take photos for my blog the bees are gone. Well, there was one. One bee. Besides the more than dozen that gave their lives to a watery grave where did the rest of them go? Did they forget this last straggler?
There are at least two areas in the vineyard where bees are kept. After all the winery’s award winning wine is called “Turó de les Abelles.” A couple of days ago when we headed out for a walk we noticed that there were bee keepers visiting the bees. At the end of our walk we passed by and even though I would have loved to get up close to see exactly what they were doing this wouldn’t have been smart. So, I zoomed in with my phone and snapped this photo. We joked that they were astronauts – all suited up and moving in way that being suited up like that makes you move. Not a great photo but I like that it exudes the mysterious feel of the moment.
I welcome any insights on the bees and water activity from those of you in the know. Yes, I can Google it, but I would much rather hear from you.
Of course I cannot end this post about bees without a quote from Winnie the Pooh.
“That buzzing noise means something. Now, the only reason for making a buzzing noise that I know of is because you are… a bee! And the only reason for being a bee is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.”
~Winnie the Pooh
The Winery Woman 