The ancient Hitokotonushi Shrine, located outside of Tokyo and built more than 1,200 years ago in the year 809, serves as a secondary sanctuary for regional pollinators every summer. The on-site water basins, which are intended to hydrate people, get a miniature makeover with moss, tiny architecture, and climbing surfaces to make them welcoming to the local bee population. The spaces provide a clean source used for drinking, feeding their young, diluting honey, and assisting in maintaining the hive’s temperature. Bees occasionally have trouble finding clean water in hot weather, just like people and other animals, and when they do, they run the risk of drowning if there aren’t enough places to land.
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