Bees need bee food and water to survive. Bees rarely store water, but bring it in as needed. Bees Use Water For:
1. Cooling – In the heat of summer, it is used for evaporative cooling. Similar to human-designed air conditions, the bees spread a thin film of water atop sealed brood (baby bee cells) or on the rims of cells containing larvae and eggs. The workers inside the hive then fan vigorously, setting up air flow which evaporated the water and cools the interior of the hive.
2. Humidity – Worker bees use water to control the humidity of the colony, not just the temperature.
3. Utilize Stored Food – Bees need water to dilute stored honey that has crystallized (become too high in glucose) or in the case where beekeeper feeds them dried sugar crystals, they need water to dissolve the sugar. Without water, they can’t access these food sources.
4. Larvae Food – Another type of bee in the hive is the nurse bee, who feeds the developing larvae. They consume large amounts of pollen, nectar, and water so that their hypopharyngeal glands can produce the jelly that is used to feed the larvae. A larvae diet can consist of water up to 80% on the first day of larval growth and about 55% on the sixth day.
5. Digestion – They need it in the digestion and metabolization of their food, as do most organisms.
Info source: https://growtherainbow.com/…/35730115-why-honey-bees-need-w…
