never a good thing to add copper. It will poison in great numbers. Pennies now adays are just coated with copper. its really iron. Try a magnet on them and you'll see. Any water you put outside in the sun will form algae and the only way to reduce it naturally is to grow oxygen producing water plants in your bird baths. That means you need a deeper container and get such plants like a a hydra or a parrot plant or a floating cabbage plant. there's another tiny floating plant that are found in lakes and ponds here. Small enough to help block sunlight and thus reduce algae growth. Pond plants will oxygenate water as it does in ponds and help tone down the algae growth. This is why in larger ponds people install those large fountains which helps to capture oxygen. its not just for decorative reasons. Bluegreen algae is particularly harmful to animals by the way. Its a form of cyanobacteria. if it does occur bleach out the container. You will know because it looks very slimy and forms noxious bubbles. Another alternative which I have used in aquariums is to use a fish antibiotic tablets. Because this form of algae is also partly bacterial - antibiotics will kill it. These thing will then turn reddish brown and die in sheets. I used to own a nature aquarium where I didn't have to clean the water for a year because of a good balance of plant grown and good bacterial growth. However one day, my dear husband introduced un-quarantined fish and petstore water and all and that destroyed the careful equilibrium I had managed. algae formed, fish died.. I had to resort to fish antibiotics to control algae.. alas.. we were never ever able to get back to that stage of balance..

Lefty7 Can you buy this at Petsmart or Pet Supplies Plus or do I have to order it online? Bugsb Thought I remembered you posting this tool when you first bought it. Going to order one just to have it onhand. With ponds you never know when you are going to need it. Just love how the algae forms a little nest when you take it off the brush. Too bad we couldn't manufacture them and sell them to birds. lol. Jenny

The bees are thirsty. You can't keep them away. Your only option would be to provide several alternate water supplies for the birds. Even pottery or plastic plant saucers, laying on the ground, are something that birds will come to readily. They can be placed in among your plants, but close to a hose for daily rinsing and filling.

Scully, yep - we are a bit warmer here, but it's the overnight hard freezes that crack birdbath basins. On cold winter days, if I notice an ice skim forming, I'll add warm water too, but if I'm gone for the day the risk of freezeover escalates. The heater works 24/7. We've had a warm fall too, but if the Old Farmers Almanac is right, once it gets here, we're in for it this winter. Btw - Everytime I open this thread I get a mental picture of Woodstock ice skating on the birdbath - brings a smile to my face ....... thanks! Another little aside is that in the heat of summer, I take a pitcher full of ice cubes out to the birdbath - the flapping about definitely increases when I cool it down! :o) Love my birds!