A couple of weeks ago we started seeing bees gather in a little pond beneath the willow tree. It looked like they were sipping the water where moss was growing.
January 22…Three bees spotted on this patch of moss.
Into the moss…
January 22…I’ve heard bees like “dirty” water, so I guess this mossy water is no surprise, but I wonder what they’re getting out of it.
Feb. 2…Being a day of steady drizzle, I checked again to see if the bees were here. Yes, this time I saw more bees. They are truly dedicated bees.
February 3…this photo is taken from a video when it was raining, but it still shows bees that are visiting the moss even though the water is covering most of it.
Some more video of honeybees active in the moss while it’s raining…
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 
The bee exploring the moss picture (second down) is just wonderful. I’m sure forager bees are often thinking ‘wheeee’ for getting their fully fledged wings and having the best fun!
They will be having more fun when they discover the catkins on the willow. It should happen in a week or so.
I love this – I’m sure there are all sorts of relationships that bees have with certain plants and parts of the ecosystem that we could only dream of understanding. Some mosses have antiseptic qualities so it would make sense that the water picks up these properties, albeit diluted
Thanks for mentioning that, Jen. For years, I have wanted to catch bees in the act of gathering tree resin for propolis, but if they are getting antiseptic properties from the moss, well, that’s just as good. 🙂
Hope your granddaughters cold gets better soon 🙂
I wonder if the willow is of significance? I know that willow water (whips left in water for a couple of days) can be used as a growth hormone when planting cuttings, who knows!
Whatever the reason, enjoyed the video and the music was great 🙂
I had heard about ‘willow water’ but had completely forgotten about it…so thanks for pointing that out. My wife and I are going to set up a little experiment for when we transplant the peas…with and without willow water. It ought to be interesting. Hmmm, we’ve got lots of willows, I wonder if we could bottle and sell it? 🙂
Thanks for thinking about my granddaughter. Her Mom says she’s starting to feel better. You know what it’s like when your child is sick (or teething) and there’s little you can do about it.
I look forward to hearing about how your experiment goes. My sister used to use it on cuttings that she wanted to propagate, I have never tried it myself.
I very much enjoyed the video – and the music (reminded me of Astor Piazolla)
Thanks, Phillip. La Tabú is based in Holland. I copied this from their website…
“La Tabú improvises tango for dancers. Every concert is different because we never play a piece the same way twice. We love it when people dance to our music, so we lure, tempt and seduce. And we tease a little too…”
I’ll lay odds, they never played tango music for honeybees in moss. 🙂
Great video. Damp moss is a safe way for bees to collect water. No danger of falling in. Are you seeing them preferentially use this patch over any nearby puddles?
Wishing your wee granddaughter a speedy recovery.
The bees seem to like this spot the most although I have seen them a time or two in front of Del’s Warre hive. The creek runs through a low field, but no bees could be found elsewhere.
Thanks for the well wishing for my granddaughter. We will be visiting her in four days and while I really want her to be out of her pain, I also DON’T want to catch her cold. 🙂
Very intriguing about the moss and bees. Bees are creatures that seem to have a reason for everything they do. I’d go for the idea that the mosses are exuding something into the surrounding wetness that the bees want.
Our willow is on the point of opening too. I’ve never heard about the willow wands being used to aid propagation. I knew willow bark was the forerunner of aspirin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aspirin. I suppose that could be the connection. Amelia
Thanks for your thoughts, Amelia. I remember reading about how aspirin was developed from willow, but that was way before I had willows growing, so it really didn’t stick. So it would be fascinating to think there might be a connection with the bees flying to that bit of moss where the willow leaves are and their immune system. I saw the bees there again today even with the rain falling and wind blowing.
Moved to Bandon last yr, gave away my hive. Want to start new hive, two questions, any bear issues in Jackie Dr area (off Whisky Run), any local places to purchase bees? Steve
I don’t know about bears out there, Steve, you’d have to ask around. I haven’t been bothered here (east of Bandon), but I know the Two Mile area has bears.
If you are using Warre hives, I will be building Warre sized boxes for nucs soon. Last year I had 9 or 10 swarms from three hives. This year I’ve got 8 hives, so I better get prepared. I don’t try to thwart the swarm behavior. Here’s a place to get Warre hive kits… http://www.beethinking.com (in Portland). You can also get the Warre hive plans online. Spend the extra $ to get the observation windows so you don’t have to inspect so often.
Another thing you can do is to build some swarm bait boxes and try to get a swarm yourself. That’s what I did three years ago. I got three swarms and gave one away.
Have Langstroth hives which I did set one out last summer but didn’t have any luck. I will look into building some swarm bait boxes, any advice on good locations to place them. Thanks,
Just to let folks know here is what I found out about bears in the area from the wildlife biologist who works out of the Charlston office: “Essentially all of Coos County has relatively high bear population densities and the Whisky Run area is no different. We have had problems with bears there in the past but nothing recently. Generally, the problems we have in that area are either nuisance problems where bears are tipping over garbage cans and getting into compost piles or bears are damaging timber by peeling the bark off of trees to get at the cambium layer and sugars in the sap. However, the problems we have in that area are no worse than other places.” Looks like an electric fence is in my future after I catch a swarm.
Fabulous close-ups in that video. One theory I’ve read about why bees prefer ‘dirty’ water is that it’s easier for them to smell. Moss does have a particular smell which I quite like and perhaps bees do too. They may also be scent marking the spot they visit, encouraging other foragers to go there too.
I have a Mossery where I cultivate a variety of moss species for landscape projects. I’ve marveled at this phenomena on many occasions. The bees actually come and sit on my moss mats for long sessions. They show a definite preference for moss over any puddles. At first, I thought that they were just chilling out for a bit of relief from the heat. But, my beekeeper friends tell me that forager bees go retrieve water to take back to the hive. Since I water on a consistent basis, my moss mats are quite appealing to all types of bees and other pollinators. I have not observed any particular bryophyte (moss) species preference — just seem to like them all.
As for antiseptic properties of moss, it is a specific genus of moss — Sphagnum species not just any moss. Indeed, Sphagnums are 99% bacteria free.
I’m giving a lecture later this week to a NC Chapter of the National Wildlife Federation. This particular group is interested in creating wildlife habitats and I would like to highlight the value of mosses to bees and other insects as part of a desired habitat. May I use some of your honeybee photos in my PowerPoint? I’ll admit, yours are better than mine. I would appreciate you granting permission for this educational outreach. — Thanks, Mossin’ Annie, author, The Magical World of Moss Gardening (Timber Press 2015)
Yes, please feel free to use my photos and/or videos in your lectures.
Thank you for granting permission to use your MOSS & bee photos. I appreciate it.–Mossin’ Annie