How to Create a Bee Waterer for Your Backyard For $10 or Less

Bees are important to our gardens and our food supply. As I discussed in this post, we need bees and they need us.

I wanted to make a bee waterer for our backyard to give them a water source close to the hive where they could drink and cool off.

But you don’t have to have a beehive to have a bee waterer. Any bees (or butterflies) that visit your yard to pollinate you flowers and vegetables could use a quick break at the bee waterer.

Here’s what you will need:

Shallow container: I’m using a plastic pot liner from the dollar store ($1), but you could use something you have laying around the house.

Glass pebbles: I got these at the dollar store as well ($6), but if you have some your kids don’t play with anymore, you could use those. Choose any color you like. The glass attracts bees and butterflies, and allows them to drink without drowning.

Elevation: You need to put it up high, to keep other animals out of it. The birds may use it as well, but I believe they will share with the bees. I am putting mine on a stand ($3) from the dollar store, but you could use a table or something else around the house.

Water: Because it is a shallow pan, you will need to check it daily to see if it needs to be refilled.

It is fairly simple to put together:

1. Put the liner in the stand.
2. Lay out the pebbles in the liner.
3. Put the waterer wherever you want it to be.
4. Add water to the pebbles.

Here is what the finished product looks like:

This is going to be a pretty and functional addition to your backyard, front yard, or wherever you want to put it. We are going to put one near the hive and one in the garden, so it can get refilled when we water the garden.

Have you made a bee waterer for your garden? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!