Grow Your Own Magazine

My water butts are re-cycled plastic chemical drums and are impossible to keep covered, I've tried many different methods, but the slightest breeze dislodges everything I try. Last year I had to rescue loads of bumble-bees from them, and I assume that when I wasn't around plenty were not so fortunate. Would an old broom handle or bamboo cane in the water allow them to climb out? Or can anyone come up with a fool-proof method for keeping some kind of cover on them.

Drill a couple of holes in the lid and the top edge of the barrel and wire the lids on? Hmmm maybe you have no lids...sorry having an illogical moment.

__________________
Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Bluemoon
I haven't noticed bumblebees in my open waterbutt, which means a) Bob the Goldfish has eaten them b) They've all fallen in and drowned on the 3 days I'm not on the allotment or c) They've fallen in and climbed back out via the branches I've stuck in there as an emergency exit!
Sue

PS I thought branches better as easier for insects to cling to??

I found a squirrel in mine.I think the weight of eating all my strawberries had dragged him under.

I too worry about open water containers on the plots. We have a rule (lots of little people about) that water butts etc. must be covered. On open sites this is hard to do. A method of escape for wildlife is a very good idea, saw 3 baby birdies dead in one butt - heart breaking.

The butts don't have lids, but we've tried several methods of covering them including an old car wheel, a piece of plastic weighted down with a brick, a bit of enviromesh tied on like a jam-pot cover and nothing stays put for more than a day or two. The branches idea sounds good, I'll give it a go when I'm up there tomorrow.

Bleumoon
If the branches don't work what about shaping some chicken wire over the top, won't stop bees but it would keep out baby birdies and other suicidal creatures.
Sue

Chicken wire is also useful for creating an escape route from any open water. I once had a half-barrel water feature and found a drowned baby hedgehog that had somehow managed to climb in but couldn't get out.

I was gutted.

On the bee front, what about popping a floating plant in the butts like water lettuce? (sadly I don't think it's edible)...

Put a piece of broken polystyrene in the water. It'll float on top and any bees falling into the water will climb onto it, dry out and fly away.

This might sound really odd but it might work. If you cut a circle or maybe a square of net out of an old curtain, the 'diameter' needs to be quite a bit bigger than the top of the water butt, so that it overhangs. Then to weight it down, use stones by tying a knot near the edges and placing a stone in it or put the net over and hold it in place with a piece of strong elastic knotted into a circle. Is there a prize for the most crazy idea ?