Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use my Bee Cups?
Place Bee Cups in your garden or on your balcony to give bees and butterflies a safe place to get water. After you receive your Bee Cups you should take them out of the packaging. Each Bee Cup has a point at the end and can be placed directly in the dirt. Place them in an area of your garden that is near your plants, but not covered by foliage.
Do Bee Cups attract mosquitoes?
Bee Cups only hold a teaspoon of water. In most climates, the water evaporates by the end of the day to prevent mosquitoes.
How do I clean my Bee Cups?
Place mulch or rocks around your Bee Cups to keep dirt from splashing into the cups.
Hard water can build up on the Bee Cups and make the color look dull and scaley. Soak the Bee Cups overnight in vinegar and sand them with fine-grit sandpaper to restore the original color.
You can run the Bee Cups through the dishwasher, just make sure they don’t knock other bee cups or silverware.
Above: Bee Cups with hard water stains.
What colors attract bees?
I love this question! Did you know that bees cannot see all the colors that humans see? Bees have the ability to see yellow, green, blue, and ultraviolet, but they cannot see red or orange. Bees are highly attracted by the water, but they also love colors in their vision range.
Bee-Vision Bee Cups have an Ultra-Violet-Reactive ceramic glaze that is clear to humans but glows bright pink to pollinators. This means that Bee Vision Bee Cups look more like flowers to bees and butterflies, and may attract them even when the cups are dry.
Should I bring my Bee Cups in over winter?
It is best to bring your Bee Cups inside during freezing weather. This will help keep them clean and fresh for the next season. However, we understand how easy it is to forget! Bee Cups originate from Texas and are made for extreme weather. Our cups are outside during temperatures between 0 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit. They even survived marble-sized hail! While we can’t guarantee that your Bee Cups will hold up to every extreme weather situation, they are tougher than you think. A little ice shouldn’t hurt them.
Above: snowy Bee Cups
My Bee Cups are always dry.
That’s ok! Each Bee Cup holds a teaspoon of water. Your Bee Cups will hold water for as little as 30 minutes or up to 12 hours depending on the temperature and humidity. Even the tiniest drop of water is welcome to a thirsty pollinator. It is critical that the water evaporates to prevent mosquitos. Bees are most active mid-morning so filling them at about 10:30 am is helpful.
Do you ship internationally?
We ship Bee Cups to most places in Europe,, Australia, and Mexico for a flat fee that ranges from $20-$28 USD. If we find that our carriers cannot deliver to you for the quoted price we will always email you with other options. Canadian customers can email us at thirstypollinators.gmail.com for our shipping options, but first, look on our Bee Cup Vendors page to see if a local shop sells Bee Cups.