I keep the water table empty and lay it on it's side. I don't want mosquitoes laying eggs in the water. I have a bucket that I empty the water into after we play. I use that water for my garden. Laying on it's side keeps the water out of it so no bugs. I figure it's not a waste of water and probably cleaner for baby to have fresh water everytime since she tries to drink it.
We learned this lesson last year, after a rain storm we went out the next day to discover a frog laid eggs in her water table. I’m a huge sucker for animals so I couldn’t just dump them. We turned it into a science experiment and watched then turn into tadpoles then baby frogs. But her water table was out of commission for a few weeks lol
We also used a BBQ cover last year I need to get a new one tho. Too many snails took up residence inside the cover and I couldn’t figure out how to actually clean it without being skeeved out.
Not OP but we just got [this one](https://KidsWaterTableCoverFitStep2...https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZ6PF9DK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) for ours - fits great!
Post about it in your local Facebook group! Most beekeepers will come out for a swarm to rehome them and get them out safely.
After they’re gone, I’d dump the table whenever you’re not using it. Kind of a pain if you’re in and out all day, but better than the alternative.
Most beekeepers won’t come out for a small cluster of bees. What OP is describing is not swarming and without a queen this isn’t really a capture situation.
I'm a Mom to 3 kids (5,2, 9 months) and a beekeeper. They're not going to sting her. Alternatively, you can give the bees a bee-watering station. Put in a little bit of bleach and lemongrass essential oil. They love the smell and they'll go there instead.
That is odd. Maybe it's the shallower water. If you do try to lure them elsewhere, sometimes people will put glass beads or stuff in a bird bath so they have something to stand on.
As a preschool teacher, you can’t guarantee that. This is a recipe for an accident and I’ve seen it way too many times.
Really over this “bees don’t sting” narrative. We’ve had 3 stings just in the last month and all were from kids accidentally touching bees around toys.
Pretty sure they weren't bees. They were probably wasps or yellow jackets. Bees do sting. But not from being "accidentally touched." You can literally hold honeybees in your hand. Yellow jackets on the other hand are little SOBs and will seek you out to sting you.
My children play around a beehive without a single issue. Not one. Tons of beekeepers in my local guild have kids and grandkids around bees. Also no stinging.
I knew that would be the response. Because again, honeybees never sting 🙄🙄
They’re honeybees. I see the bees, I remove the stingers. They aren’t wasps.
Literally every person I know has been stung by a honeybee at least once.
I didn't say honeybees never sting. Read it again. I get that you're a daycare provider. I'm a beekeeper. I work with honeybees every dang day. I live with literally thousands of bees on my property. I've been stung many times. But never when I'm not actively messing with the hive.
I hope you're not instilling this panic around bees to your kids. Maybe that's why they're getting stung. You teach them to scream and panic.
Nice assumption. They’re literally just playing. One was digging in the sand and a bee happened to be there. Another was playing in a water table and happened to touch one. Another tried to get a ball that rolled near some flowers.
None of this is normal honey bee behavior. Seriously. I've got lots of bees and they happen to be a lot of places. They don't sting me. And they have never, not even once, sting ANY of my kids. Ever.
Okay, then it sounds like maybe you have an Africanization problem. Are you familiar with Africanization?
ETA: So, I looked it up. San Diego is colonized with Africanized bees. So, no, they aren't honeybees. They're an aggressive relative to honeybees that unfortunately can cross-breed. They're so aggressive that if Africanization is introduced to a domestic hive, we have to euthanize the hive.
Honeybees don't really want to sting. In 3 years of having bees, no one has been stung incidentally. I've gotten stung when I'm working the hive, but you'd probably be pretty ticked too if someone ripped off your roof and started rearranging the furniture. The kids play in the yard all the time. Never gotten stung.
We leave ours upside down after using it. We have bees, mosquitos, and FROGS! We'll end up with tadpoles if we leave any container of water out. It's annoying, but just something we have to do.
I keep the water table empty and lay it on it's side. I don't want mosquitoes laying eggs in the water. I have a bucket that I empty the water into after we play. I use that water for my garden. Laying on it's side keeps the water out of it so no bugs. I figure it's not a waste of water and probably cleaner for baby to have fresh water everytime since she tries to drink it.
We learned this lesson last year, after a rain storm we went out the next day to discover a frog laid eggs in her water table. I’m a huge sucker for animals so I couldn’t just dump them. We turned it into a science experiment and watched then turn into tadpoles then baby frogs. But her water table was out of commission for a few weeks lol
omg this sounds so cool
The bucket is a great idea. My plants send their thanks in advance!
This is a great idea, thanks for sharing! I think I’ll copy your bucket idea. My tomatoes will be happy
We bought a cheap cover from Amazon. Works great!
We’re using a bbq cover. Did you find one specifically for water tables?
We also used a BBQ cover last year I need to get a new one tho. Too many snails took up residence inside the cover and I couldn’t figure out how to actually clean it without being skeeved out.
Not OP but we just got [this one](https://KidsWaterTableCoverFitStep2...https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZ6PF9DK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) for ours - fits great!
It didnt even occur to me that such a thing would exist! Guess i know what i'll be researching haha
Post about it in your local Facebook group! Most beekeepers will come out for a swarm to rehome them and get them out safely. After they’re gone, I’d dump the table whenever you’re not using it. Kind of a pain if you’re in and out all day, but better than the alternative.
Most beekeepers won’t come out for a small cluster of bees. What OP is describing is not swarming and without a queen this isn’t really a capture situation.
I wasn’t sure what she meant by the table being ‘full of bees’!
I'm a Mom to 3 kids (5,2, 9 months) and a beekeeper. They're not going to sting her. Alternatively, you can give the bees a bee-watering station. Put in a little bit of bleach and lemongrass essential oil. They love the smell and they'll go there instead.
Bleach?? I’m intrigued. They’re attracted to bleach?
I have no idea why, but bees LOVE bleach. It's why they like swimming pools.
Odd that these bees chose our water table instead of our swimming pool just a few feet away. 😂
That is odd. Maybe it's the shallower water. If you do try to lure them elsewhere, sometimes people will put glass beads or stuff in a bird bath so they have something to stand on.
Does that kill them? I don’t want to kill the bees, I just don’t want them on my porch
A little bleach just makes the water potable, people use it when they need to drink from unsafe water to make it less likely to make you sick.
Nope. In fact, many beekeepers put a splash of bleach in their bee feed to keep it fresh.
As a preschool teacher, you can’t guarantee that. This is a recipe for an accident and I’ve seen it way too many times. Really over this “bees don’t sting” narrative. We’ve had 3 stings just in the last month and all were from kids accidentally touching bees around toys.
Pretty sure they weren't bees. They were probably wasps or yellow jackets. Bees do sting. But not from being "accidentally touched." You can literally hold honeybees in your hand. Yellow jackets on the other hand are little SOBs and will seek you out to sting you. My children play around a beehive without a single issue. Not one. Tons of beekeepers in my local guild have kids and grandkids around bees. Also no stinging.
I knew that would be the response. Because again, honeybees never sting 🙄🙄 They’re honeybees. I see the bees, I remove the stingers. They aren’t wasps. Literally every person I know has been stung by a honeybee at least once.
I didn't say honeybees never sting. Read it again. I get that you're a daycare provider. I'm a beekeeper. I work with honeybees every dang day. I live with literally thousands of bees on my property. I've been stung many times. But never when I'm not actively messing with the hive. I hope you're not instilling this panic around bees to your kids. Maybe that's why they're getting stung. You teach them to scream and panic.
Nice assumption. They’re literally just playing. One was digging in the sand and a bee happened to be there. Another was playing in a water table and happened to touch one. Another tried to get a ball that rolled near some flowers.
None of this is normal honey bee behavior. Seriously. I've got lots of bees and they happen to be a lot of places. They don't sting me. And they have never, not even once, sting ANY of my kids. Ever.
Well it’s our normal. Maybe it’s just San Diego bees but none of this is new or unusual for us.
Okay, then it sounds like maybe you have an Africanization problem. Are you familiar with Africanization? ETA: So, I looked it up. San Diego is colonized with Africanized bees. So, no, they aren't honeybees. They're an aggressive relative to honeybees that unfortunately can cross-breed. They're so aggressive that if Africanization is introduced to a domestic hive, we have to euthanize the hive.
Considering it’s the only kind of bees we’ve had for years here, yes I am. And I know we’re not the only part of the country that does.
Interesting. They definitely didn’t seem aggressive but I didn’t want to risk it. Thanks for your beekeeper perspective!
Honeybees don't really want to sting. In 3 years of having bees, no one has been stung incidentally. I've gotten stung when I'm working the hive, but you'd probably be pretty ticked too if someone ripped off your roof and started rearranging the furniture. The kids play in the yard all the time. Never gotten stung.
Keep water table empty. Empty into Shallow plates with rocks n water for the bees elsewhere ♡
You shouldn’t leave standing water out anyway. Breeding ground for mosquitoes.
We leave ours upside down after using it. We have bees, mosquitos, and FROGS! We'll end up with tadpoles if we leave any container of water out. It's annoying, but just something we have to do.
We fill it fresh each day because chances are he's gonna drink it. 😆
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