Bees won't suffer in hot weather if you add 1 thing to your garden

Spotting plenty of pollinators around the flower beds is a sure sign of a healthy ecosystem in your garden. Bees are vital for the health and productivity of gardens and the wider environment, allowing your plants to bloom, transferring pollen from one to another.

But, with the current heatwaves scorching the UK, it's urgent to make sure bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife can stay hydrated and cool. One thing that will help bees this summer is adding a watering system for them - and you can DIY one in three easy steps. You likely don't even have to stray from your home to get the easily-available equipment needed to build a reliable watering hole for the bees in your garden.

Just fetch an unused plant pot from your home or greenhouse, it doesn't matter about material, and a saucer plate to fill with water and you're nearly good to go.

The buzzing insects require water to keep their hives cool as well as diluting honey and feeding larvae, all of which is essential to keeping a healthy ecosystem.

In a TikTok video which has racked up more than 1.4million views, user @Growwithnith outlines the easy-to-follow method, grabbing a terracotta plant pot and an orange saucer dish.

"Help our bee friends stay hydrated with a bee hydration station," they tell viewers.

"I popped a saucer on top of a pot. Add some small rocks to the saucer. This gives the bees something to stand on. Add a bit of water, and place in the shade near your flowers.

"Wine corks also work well! [It's] Fun to watch the bees float around. Top up water every day and give it a clean every 2-3 days."

Followers have commented to share their success with @Growwithnith, with one relaying that she "hasn't seen any bees yet but lots of birds use it for bath and drink water."

Providing clean water for your garden's pollinators, and ensuring the water level doesn't drop too low during the surging temperatures, will improve the chances they return.

The Royal Horticultural Society has underlined the importance of bees, and other visitors, and why they frequent your garden in the summer.

The society states on its website: "Bees visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen - food for themselves and their larvae.

"By moving from flower to flower, they are vital pollinators of many garden and wild plants. Insect pollination, which is carried out by many insects such as bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, beetles, and moths, is essential for most fruits and many vegetables to crop."