A Simple Life-Saver: Borrowing Wisdom for a DIY Hive Hydrator

 One of the best things about being a new farmer is the community. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel; sometimes, the best solutions are already out there, sitting on a neighbor’s hive.

During a recent visit to a nearby apiary, I spotted a brilliantly simple way to keep bees hydrated during these fickle early spring days. In this chilly weather, bees often fly too far for water and never make it back because of the cold. This little DIY hack solves that problem perfectly, so I decided to bring the idea home to Zion Apiary.

The Setup (Minimalist & Cheap) You don’t need a lab or high-end tools for this. All it took was:

• Recycled water bottles (350ml or 500ml)

• Non-woven fabric cloths (I picked a few different colors to brighten up the yard)

• A sharp craft knife
  
  

  

  “Doorstep delivery: The bees wasted no time getting hydrated.

  
  

Bringing it to Life The process is so quick it barely feels like "work." I just made a vertical slit down the side of each clean bottle and tucked a strip of the fabric through the gap. Once the bottle is filled with water, capillary action does the rest—the cloth stays damp, acting like a constant wick.

I placed them right at the hive entrances (Somun), adjusting the fabric so the bees can reach it without even stepping out into the wind. It’s a literal doorstep delivery for their hydration needs.

Reflection I was working solo today, so I couldn't get any "action shots" of the assembly process, but the results speak for themselves. Seeing the bees cluster around those colorful wicks confirms that sometimes, the simplest tools are the most effective.

I spend a lot of time writing thousands of lines of code for my NFC system, but it’s moments like this—tucking a piece of cloth into a plastic bottle—that remind me what beekeeping is really about: keeping these tiny creatures safe and healthy, one small step at a time.