174
submitted 5 months ago by Blair@slrpnk.net to c/farming@slrpnk.net

If you want an easy way to help your local pollinators, then consider building a water station! Many plants and crops rely on pollinators, so the more you attract and help, the healthier your garden will be (for example: "โ€œBee pollination improves crop quality, shelf life and commercial value.โ€)

For a basic one, you will need:

  • Tray or dish
  • Rocks
  • Water

The tray or dish is to hold everything, and the rocks are to give the pollinators something safe to land on. Without the rocks, you will likely end up with drowned bees. Due to evaporation, you may have to fill the dish once or more a day.

HOWEVER, although that is the most common method, there is another one that I prefer that was taught to me by local beekeepers. They use a refilling dog bowl instead of a dish, so it doesn't have to be filled as often.

(Image Source)

While this was advice from beekeepers, the watering stations are not limited to honeybees; you may see all sorts of native pollinators visiting.

If you can't buy a refilling bowl, here is a tutorial on how to DIY one.

No matter what you choose, though, the pollinators will appreciate it! I do suggest putting the water in shade to limit possible algae growth.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Beacon@fedia.io 19 points 5 months ago

How do you prevented from being a mosquito breeding ground?

[-] Blair@slrpnk.net 25 points 5 months ago

You could use Mosquito Dunks (BTI) which uses a bacteria to kill mosquito larvae, but are safe for fish, pets, and adult insects.

[-] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

Those mosquito dunks are only harmful to mosquitoes. So you could put a small piece in the water to kill the larvae.

this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2024
174 points (99.4% liked)

Solarpunk Farming

1199 readers
37 users here now

Farm all the things!

Also see:

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS