So many of us have a water source for birds and some have larger features such as ponds which accomodate amphibians and fish, too. But if those features are too steep and free of rocks and leaves to perch on, then it is hard for our beneficial insects to get the drinks of water they need. If you fancy giving a helping hand to our dragonflies and damselflies, bees and other helpful insects, consider making a water dish for them. It will come in handy in between munching on mosquitoes and blackflies or pollinating our plants for food we need and love.
Once we were regular, the insects seemed to know to come. Until then, they were trying to get a drink from the bird bath which was deep with no help should they fall in.
Below is a cute photo of a wasp reaching down to get a drink. I imagine some will raise eyebrows about helping wasps, too…but they also pollinate, sometimes keep pest insect species in check and besides, so long as we are slow and peaceful, we are always able to sit or move among them without harm. I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule, but so far so good.
Sarah Coulber
Sarah is an Education Specialist at the Canadian Wildlife Federation. She writes about the benefits and ‘how-to’s’ of wildlife-friendly gardening, coordinates content for the Gardening for Wildlife web section, co-manages the wildlife-friendly demonstration gardens at CWF headquarters and assists Canadians looking to achieve similar results with their own properties.
2 comments
Beneficial Insect Water Dish
I really like this idea
What about mosquitos? How do you manage them
Heather
As with bird baths, you can change the water as often as you feel is needed, perhaps once a week in the cooler weather and twice a week in the hotter weather. If you keep the dish shallow enough, however, you might find it dries up in the hot weather and therefore needs refilling in which case mosquitoes won’t be an issue.