Foraging honey bees (Apis mellifera) obtain the fundamental resources of the colony: pollen, nectar, propolis, and water. While nectar and pollen are the most apparent resources that bees need to collect, water is also critical to the colony. It is used for drinking, thermoregulation, humidity regulation within the hive, and to dilute honey used as larval food. The objectives of this study are to identify the preferences of water-collecting foragers presented with four local species of moss and inorganic (i.e. sponges) water sources and to evaluate the water sources for cations and anions to determine if honey bees are selecting for specific essential nutrients.
