Rural Gardening: Advice, thoughts, comments?, 0 by jio1

jio1 wrote:
Hello -- I live in Albuquerque, NM where we've been having a severe drought for the last several many years. I live in a large apartment complex, but am on the top floor and relatively hidden from easy viewing from below -- if someone is *really* interested, there's a always a way, right?

At the end of hummingbird season last year, I noticed bees coming to the hummer feeder. That's more than wonderful, I love bees, am not afraid of them, nor has one ever bitten me. But I was concerned about them getting trapped inside the hummer feeder, which I wanted to take down anyway, the hummers being gone. So I began putting out a shallow dish with a small statue in the center for weight, and filling it with sugar water. The bees have come all winter and are continuing. I am one of the few who gardens on their balcony, so I noticed the other day that the bees are also drinking from the container saucers.

Am not too terribly concerned about being busted -- most of my neighbors are elderly and have trouble seeing from the street level up this far or around the ends of their balconies to mine. But -- I want to be sure I'm not doing something wrong. Is it okay to be feeding them? What about the saucer water? Maybe I should be putting more sugar water out? I make a mix of 2 tablespoons of white sugar to a half-cup of water, stir well and refrigerate between fillings of their dish. Should the sugar water mix be changed? Am sending along a pic of what I call the Bee Chorus Line taken before the statue was added. Thanks for your help! jo