Salt

[Jerrymac]

Because of something I had read a few months ago, and what had been posted here, I took a few chuncks of water conditioner salt out by the hive a few days ago (03-02-05). I sat the chuncks on a plastic lid from country crock margerin container. This is lying upside down on the ground. I poured some water into this.

Today I went to look at the bees. There were only a couple of small salt rocks left and one bee was messing around with them. There was no water in the plastic lid. It had just stopped raining before I went out there, and it had rained a little yesterday. There was water puddled onto flat surfaces but none in the salt dish. I do believe the bees like salt for what ever reason.

[Jerrymac]

I had just posted the above after walking back to the house from the hive. I had dumped some water on the remaining salt before I left, approximantly four tablespoon fulls. I just went back and looked and all that water is gone and one little tear drop sized rock of salt is left. I'm going to make a salt feeder jar and see how long it takes them to empty it.

 More later.

[BigRog]

Guess they like it.
All living things that we know of need salt

[williams460]

I have some good salt with vitamins still intact , not processed garbage the sell to most consumers.Pinkish in colour ,anyway i put some sprinkles on there and they packed the sprinkles off rite away , and took it in for consumption .hmm new way to get vitamins in your bees ?Just maybe.

[photokid]

I hope it's not like the way cats and dogs love anti-freeze because it tastes sweet.

[photokid]

It makes sense, though, since bees prefer muddy water over clean.

[Apis629]

I once read a book on beekeeping from the 1970s that sugested feeding salt to bees to enhance brood development.  I'm not sure what book it was but it's at my town's library. I can't remember what it was called but it had a rough sketch of worker bees with a queen cell on the cover.  I think it was "Practical Beekeeping" by Enoch H. Tompkins.  I'll try to check later this week.

[bassman1977]

That's pretty interesting.  Jerrymac or anyone else...are you doing this on a regular basis now?  Any more updates on how it's working?

[Jerrymac]

I just sort of left it in a shallow jar lid. Sometimes after a rain I would see a bee getting into it. I heard some where that they really go for the salt rock that you feed livestock. Haven't tried it.

[Finsky]

I have studied during 1,5 year nutrition of bees and I have not found not a mention about salt (NaCl). In reports they say that pollen has all minerals what bees need. Honey as well contains minerals.

[bassman1977]

Thanks gents.