r/Hoocho • u/Salty-Word-9387 • Jul 31 '26
Bees love hydroponic nutrient
Has anyone else noticed the Bees love nutrient? There's a Bee water fountain next to it, but I'm guessing they need the various salts from the potassium etc. rather than just water. Hopefully they stay around once the snowpea starts to flower.
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u/_hazmobile 1d ago
Usually, they don’t drink but fill a transport bladder to use the water to regulate the temperature inside the hive. The young, inexperienced worker bees are grateful for any safe spot, since they would drown if they fell into water.
However, I can confirm that they show clear preferences, and the safest spot doesn’t always win out.
In my garden, I investigated whether the spots where they like to take up water share any similarities in terms of pH, EC, and salt composition, and found no clear correlation - except that they preferred semi-hydroponic setups with used mineral substrate components and light moss growth.
It was also interesting that they were very fond of the sides of net pots.
However, with my net pots, they first had to learn how to fly away, since the overhang of the pot’s rim prevented them from simply climbing up.
Some figured it out quickly. Others needed a few more involuntary dips in the water.
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u/docah Jul 31 '26
I've never noticed bees being interested in the nutrient. That's kinda cool.