Recycling plastic bottles can be confusing. Can the lids be recycled too? Do you keep them on or remove them? The rules are often different depending on where you live and which recycling company you use. Instead of throwing it all out, you can just keep the plastic caps and turn them into something useful. On Instagram, the creator @clarehooper Shares her idea for a bee watering tower made from plastic bottle caps and sticks. This is an inexpensive and sustainable way to provide your local pollinators with the resources they need. You only need the caps for this project, but don’t toss the rest of the unit – there are plenty Smart ways to reuse water bottlesAlso.
when Gardening to attract beesAdding watering stations can make those areas more attractive. Water keeps the bees cool and hydrated, but it’s also important in the hive. Baby bees need water and bees use the liquid to dilute the honey so they can eat it. Bees can drown easily, so shallow water sources are safer for your pollinating visitors, which is why bottle caps work so well. Butterflies, of course, also enjoy water sources and will benefit from this watering tower.
To build a tower, you will also need a strong stick and wooden dowels or thin pieces of wood as stakes. Small screws hold the caps in place, and small pieces of gravel are placed inside. Finally, grab any decorations you want to use to decorate the watering station.
How to assemble your bee watering tower
Clean the bottle caps thoroughly with warm, soapy water and rinse them thoroughly before assembling your water tower. If you use a thicker stick on the outside as your post, it can help to crimp the end to a point so it goes into the ground more easily.
Making guide holes in the bottle caps and stakes makes it easy to assemble the tower. You want to attach the caps by the edge, so they sit horizontally on the stake. Use a drill or nail to punch a small hole in the side of the lid. Press the screw into the stake. Then, put a small screw through them and use a screwdriver to push them so they stay in place.
If you want to decorate a bee watering station, do it now. You can follow the original creator’s lead by adding a wooden flower on top to make it look like a flower stem. It carries the theme by using green lids, making them look like leaves. Or make a flower shape out of air-dry clay and bend it slightly to make a cup-like topper where you can add more water. Tie stakes between your flowers for a fun decoration, and add some small pebbles and water. Then, if you’re still feeling creative, try something else Unique ways to reuse household items in your garden.
