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Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 01:02 pm
Since it’s pollinator week I figured I’d share this quick and easy DIY project with you all. I made it last week. You can make this with anything you have on hand. If you have a fountain or a circulating water source you can also add a few rocks to help pollinators outs.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with a pollinator watering station it’s basically a place where bees, butterflies or other pollinators can stop to rest and have drink of water. As i mentioned above you can use anything you have at home. You don’t really have to break the bank for this project. You can also use an existing fountain and just add a few flat rocks to it as well.
What You’ll Need
- a dish (any kind will do)
- rocks (any size but flat ones work best)
- water
How to set it up
As you can see i used a basic plastic dish and some river rocks. The plastic dish was a simple planter bottom tray. I had washed the rocks because they were a bit dirty that’s why they were in the plastic container.
You can arrange the rocks any way you like. You may also have to add more or remove some depending on the size of your dish or fountain or tray.
once you get all of your rocks organized the way you like them you can add water. Remember not to over fill your watering station. You need to have some of the rocks above water so the bees and butterflies can land.
Finding the right place for your watering station
It may take you a few tries before you can find the right place for your watering station. I moved mine around. I don’t know if any of the bees have used it yet but I still fill it with clean water daily. I tried it in a few places.
I left it in a shady spot the first day I put it out. I thought if i left it out in the plants or where plants were the bees or butterflies would be attracted to it.
I also placed it in the garden itself hoping it would help. So far it’s been hit and miss. I think it would be best if you have it in a higher location and where you have the most pollinator activity in your garden.
Caring for your watering station
The care of a watering station is very basic. All you need to do is add clean water daily. If it begins to get a bit grimy or moldy wash it out with warm soapy water. Don’t use bleach. If you have tough mold try using vinegar or a non-toxic cleaning agent to get rid of it.
I hope this project will help start your pollinator support journey. You can find out more about Pollinator week by visiting the link below
http://xerces.org/pollinator-week/?utm_source=Pollinator+Week+1+-+Monday%2C+June+17&utm_campaign=Pollinator+Week+2019&utm_medium=email
