The Wine Cork Hack That Keeps Exhausted Pollinators Cool & Refreshed During Summer

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Making a welcoming space for your neighborhood pollinators is not only about adding flowers to attract bees and birds. If you notice bees or other pollinating insects visiting your birdbath, adding a wine cork is one way to help rehydrate tired pollinators in your yard during the summer. The naturally buoyant wine cork offers stable support where the insects can land for a safe, much-needed drink, especially during intensive heat.

Pollinators, especially bees, move frantically throughout the air, buzzing from flower to flower as they forage. They often visit upward of 1,500 flowers daily, and all that bustling activity can wear them down. Bees do not receive much water from pollen or nectar, so they will stop at a bird bath or other water source for hydration. Without a safe place to land, they can easily fall into the water and drown. Not only do individual bees drink the water, but they will also collect droplets and carry them back to their hive. Once inside the hive, the collective wing-flapping of tens of thousands of worker bees circulate air with the water for an evaporative cooling effect. This action also helps dilute moisture from the nectar, so it thickens and becomes delicious honey. Bees are some of the most crucial creatures on the planet and pollinate not just flowers, but hundreds of crops. It might seem small, but doing this wine cork hack will make a significant difference in these pollinators' lives.

If you want to repurpose wine corks into pollinator-friendly perches, start with a clean water source. You may already have a bird bath on your property with pollinator visitors. You can simply add a few corks to it. Make sure to clean any wine remnants first. Rinse with warm water, and scrub with a soft brush or sponge. Do not use dish soap. Any leftover residue can enter their spiracles (breathing holes) and kill them. Let the cork air dry completely before using to avoid mold or mildew from forming.

If you do not have a water source in your yard, you can make a bee bath with a shallow dish. One option is to use a discarded, clean pie tin in your yard, filling it with an inch of water, then adding in the corks. If you do not have a pie plate, any shallow dish will do. Place their water source near their preferred flowering plants and in the sun. You may think they might like a bit of shade, but cold water can chill bees, making it harder to fly. Keep an eye on the dish. Refill it when it is empty and constantly change out the water to avoid a breeding ground for mosquitoes.  If you do not drink wine or champagne but still want to help the pollinators, you can buy batches of spare corks, such as Rupert and Jeoffrey's Trading Co. 50-count order to use for this hack.