Bee Waterer 30L

01 · WHY THIRTY LITRES

What a colony gets through in summer

In a Mediterranean summer a colony gets through water at a surprising rate: it uses it to cool the nest and to dilute stores, and if it is not close by, the foragers find it wherever they can — pools, cattle troughs, a neighbour's drip. Thirty litres give weeks of autonomy at a medium apiary, which is exactly what saves the trip made only to fill a bucket.

02 · FILLING AND CLEANING

From the top, no dismantling, no tipping

Filling is from the top, through a cap: nothing to dismantle and no tipping to add water, which is where time is lost and water spilled. For cleaning, the plate lifts out and leaves the floor accessible. And the raised legs keep it off the ground, so neither soil nor crawling insects reach the water. It works on the ground or on a flat surface and goes up in a moment.

03 · NOTHING AGAINST DROWNING

The part you have to add separately

This is worth saying before you buy: the waterer comes with nothing inside against drowning. Thirty litres of open water with nowhere to land drowns bees on every hot day, and that is the commonest failing of any improvised water point. The fix is simple and goes separately: floating stones covering the floor, or branches if you have nothing else. Without that, the waterer only half works.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It measures Ø 45 × 70 cm and weighs 3.4 kg empty: full it is over thirty kilos, so choose the spot before filling it. Put it in the shade and ahead of the heat, not once they are already looking: a colony that has learned to go to the neighbour's pool takes a while to change habit. Although it also serves birds, the design is aimed at bees.