Bees Drowning in Swimming Pool

Honeybee visiting peach flower

Q. My daughter has an above-ground swimming pool and she is encountering a lot of bees floating on her pool water. First she is not happy to see them die. Second she is not happy for them to be there as her son and daughters swim in the pool and they don't want to get stung. Can you make any suggestions?

A. The bees are looking for water to take back to their hives. When it is hot out, bees are continuously hauling water back to the hives to keep it cool. And consequently they drown because the pool is not shallow.

            She can try putting out a shallow depression in the landscape away from the pool and see if they will land there instead. They would prefer to haul water from a place that has a very shallow amount of water like the edge of a pond or stream.

            This way they can land on solid ground, take water and fly away. Once they find it, they may make lots of trips to it for water and be regular visitors. There is a hive somewhere fairly close by.