🌿 Birdbath Tip
I've had this for a couple of weeks now. It hasn't gotten messy. I change the water every few days, and the birds always leave a mess, but it hasn't gotten on this. I don't know if the bees are using it. I haven't seen them, but then again, I haven't seen any drowned ones either.I have a standard size concrete bird bath. The birds can still get in and splash around although I'm sure they would like it if this bee platform wasn't there. It could be quite a bit smaller and still do the job.No complaints from me, and I guess there's no complaints from the bees.
As a lapsed beekeeper, I'm quite aware of the risks of inadvertently drowning bees while trying to provide water. Without a good landing spot it's very easy for them to fall into the water and not be able to get out. This little fake lily pad helps solve that by providing plenty of surface area where bees can land drink. The lily pad shape and bright color are attractive, and it's a good solid-feeling bit of plastic that seems like it will hold up well. It's early in the spring so I don't have a lot of bees in the area yet, but I expect this will be a hit with them out in my little pond.
I have mine floating around in the spa in the back yard. We often have bees, wasps and other insects dipping into the spa and pool for water, and this gives the bugs a chance to help themselves if they get stuck. It's particularly helpful with beetles that tend to end up floating around in the water. I've come back on several occasions to find 3, 4 or more beetles just hanging out on the pontoon, so it makes for easy removal rather than have to fish out the dead bugs with a net. Solid plastic, floats well, should last a good while. Not so great for the main pool, as this is small enough to float right into the side skimmers, but definitely great for the spa. Maybe if I bind a few together, with a lily flower, so it's larger than the skimmer opening?