Provide a safe water source for the bees and other pollinators in garden with a DIY watering station. It’s easy, can serve as a focal point and decorative garden ornament or *bee* as simple as you like!
Happy Friday! If you’re a bee and pollinator lover, I have a fun DIY that comes together in minutes that provides a decorative element in the garden and serves a safe and functional water source for the bees too!
Did you know there are more than 4,000 native bee species in the U.S. with over 500 species here in North Carolina? They vary in size, shape, color and carry pollen in various places on their body and even have different seasons of activity. Bees and other pollinators all need fresh water to drink. Honey bees use water to regulate the temperature of the hive, feed young bees, and dilute stored honey. A deep water source like a creek, lake or even birdbath puts bees at risk of drowning or being food for other predators, as they can’t swim.
Providing a safe water source is simple and fun way to help our pollinators. You put together a watering station in just minutes in your garden, making it as simple or as decorative as you like.
To make this watering station, you’ll want a shallow saucer. Bees actually see color in the blue-violet spectrum better than other hues so I chose this blue glazed ceramic saucer that I thought might help them find this watering station more quickly! It’s an 11″ saucer that I found at Lowe’s and was also available in a 13-inch size and in teal and green.
To give your bees and pollinators a safe place to land you’ll want to fill the saucer with small pebbles, rocks or marbles. I picked up a 2 lb. bag of small stones I found at Dollar Tree.
For a decorative base of my watering station, I used a DIY Mosaic Flower Pot.
A fun DIY and way to upcycle your broken dishes or thrift store finds with a trash-to-treasure craft and create one-of-a-kind flower pots for your garden or for gifts!
Simply invert your pot of choice, top with your saucer, fill with pebbles or marbles and add water. . .voilà . . . a bee watering station in less than 5 minutes!
Make sure the pebbles or marbles aren’t completely submerged so bees, butterflies, wasps, ladybugs or other beneficial insects and pollinators can drink safely while perched on the stones.
In the heat of the summer, you’ll need to add water daily due to evaporation. I’ve topped ours with fresh water daily with fresh water this week with our 80+ degree weather, reaching the 90’s this weekend.
A cast iron bee that I’ve had for many years buzzed over and was added for a touch of whimsy. . .
You can make a simple or decorative watering station, using any terra cotta or garden pot with shallow saucer for a bee watering station. The only thing to remember is to keep the water level low enough that the stones or marbles aren’t completely submerged, topping off with fresh water frequently and cleaning as needed.
Place your bee watering station in garden where you already see bees visiting their favorite flowers to help them locate your watering station more quickly.
Buzz over to see Garden Blooms Around the Potting Shed, HERE.
If you love seeing bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife visit your garden, consider certifying it as a wildlife habitat.
It’s fun, makes a positive difference and easier than you might think!
You can find out more, HERE.
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I love this idea! Your bee watering station is really cute and a great way to help the bees and butterflies. Thank you!
What a great idea! A quick weekend project – I can’t wait to get started!
Thanks for a wonderful idea!!!
How cute, and such a great idea! Yes, save the bees!!
Jenna
Great idea, if only it was just bees… I hate wasps and we are inundated with them with numerous fountains to fuel their nests I must have had at least 50 spread around. They are vicious, no side by side gardening like with bees, wasps attack with the slightest infraction, they burrow in the dirt, nest in my rose bushes, garden art, bird houses, and every 5′ on our house and barn eves, I need a holster attached to my thigh with raid to just walk the summer garden!
So yes this is perfect for bees, I just hate their travel companions 😡😱😞
I have done something very similar in the past and added a parsley plant as an added attractor for butterflies. Somehow time has gotten away and haven’t made one yet this year. As soon as the cucumbers are planted I know what I will be doing. Thanks for sharing this great idea.
Going out to buy a pot today.
I could not find my river rocks so I used sea glass and sea shells.
A great and attractive idea for the garden! Happy weekend, Mary!
Mary, Your bee watering dish is both clever and attractive! Happy Friday! Clara❤️
This is really a great idea and a wonderful focal point for your garden and your bees! I have tried to find where to get a large bee like that but none of your Amazon links have been working lately. I can make most of the project though. thank you for all of your wonderful ideas and fun projects
I love this craft, and we all need to be more aware of the importance of bees. :D
I LOVE THIS💙🐝
I love this too! My 7 yo granddaughter is afraid of bees and building this together with her will help her to feel more compassionate toward them by recognizing that they need water too and this is helping them. I’m so excited to do this project with her!
Functional and really pretty, too!
All so pretty, Mary. I have a box of MC shards I plan to do something with for the garden. Who knows when! 😂😂😂
Cheers to bees in our garden.
Very attractive. Thanks for sharing this idea and your little tutorial.
~Mary~
Thanks for sharing, and so pretty !! Queen bees would love stopping by for a sip of water !!
Have a fun weekend !
Paula
IN
Mary, this is such a wonderful idea, and it looks so pretty in the garden. Thanks for sharing! Have a wonderful weekend!
What a great, fun project! Thanks Mary. Love the color also! 🐝🐝🐝
Cute idea. I’m going to try my hand at the mosaic pots too! Thank you!
Thank you for this idea!! I was looking for something for my bees, butterflies, etc…I already have all that is needed…and that’s a plus! Keep the DIY coming!!
Your bee watering station is perfect, Mary! I love that you used your mosaic pot as the base and the pretty cast iron bee for decor. You’re always giving us great ideas!
I too love this idea! It’s darn right adorable!
This is such a wonderful idea! I would love to share it in my weekly wrap-up this weekend.
Mary, where did you find your bee? I have looked all over the internet but I don’t see the right thing. Everything is a drawer pull!
Hi Sandra, The skeleton bees came from Grandin Road a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, they are no longer available. If I run across anything similar, I’ll let you know.
Thanks, Mary. That’s so sweet of you.
Thank you, Mary, for the easy instructions on putting together a bee/pollinator watering station! I’ll be at Lowe’s sometime this week and I’ll look for a glazed saucer to make one. I have two birdbaths and they are used all the time. And yes, I will have to look into getting certified as a wildlife habitat. :)
Hugs to you and your pups,
Barb :)