If you are primarily a gardener who keeps some bees, could I ask you opinion?
From a gardener’s perspective, does present-day beekeeping equipment meet your needs? Is it the right size, the right color, they right style? Can too many bees be too much of a good thing? I’ve spoken to many gardening groups and have been told that the common beehive is not always well-suited for the garden environment. If you agree, what changes do you suggest?
From GM: My father made his money with chicken eggs and as such he had automatic poultry waterers. Reading your article it seems to me they would be good for bee waterers as they basically need no attention to the keep water available to the bees. His were about a 6′ trough with a float controlled inlet from a pressure (home well) water source. They come in different sizes. Here is one source http://www.qcsupply.com/275005
Today, as I prepared to get the lawn mower out, I noticed a significant number of water foragers around a rain puddle in front of my tractor barn. I changed my plans and posted the water foraging activity at: Honey Bee Water Foragers. It was bee biology in motion. I’ll mow later.
NWOBA, thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk to your group last evening. The room was full of mostly new beekeepers with a few old folks mixed in for good measure. I wish I had more good answers for the group and I hope our bees have the best season ever. (It’s just the normal beekeeper dream.)
VSBA, thanks for a wonderful, wonderful event at your Spring, 2012 meeting in Richmond, VA. (For those who don’t know, just a few days before the event, the meeting site had to be completely changed.) Everything worked well on essentially no notice. Great meeting site, great crowd, and good spirits. What an outstanding bunch of beekeepers!