A bee on a flower, which can lead you to find water with your survival knife If you find yourself lost in the wild, finding a source of drinkable water should be one of your top priorities. There are a number of ways to look for water in the world, but using wildlife is arguably one of the most effective, as animals and bugs need water to survive too. Spotting and tracking animals such as deer in the hope they lead you to water isn’t quite as easy as finding some bugs. With that in mind, we have looked at four common insects you should keep an eye out for that might just show you where water is: Bees Keep an eye out in trees, on tree stumps or along rocks for bee hives, as these are usually located within three to five miles of a water source. Once you have found the hive, try to get a high vantage point and scout the landscape for dark green vegetation. You can also observe their behaviour and look at where they are flying, then follow them to see if they are heading to a water source. Ants If you stumble across an ant hill, take a look and see if there is a line of ants leaving the hill and heading to a water source. If the ants are living inside of a tree or tree stump, there might be some water inside. If so, you can get at it with a survival knife and drinking straw fashioned from a large leaf. Mosquitoes Mosquitoes breed in slow-moving or standing water, meaning if you come across some swarms of mosquitoes, you must be close to a water source. Do bear in mind that drinking the water from stagnant bodies is a no-no, but a small stagnant body of water could mean there are other sources nearby. Flies Flies are also a great marker of a nearby water source, as they don’t normally travel further than 100 meters from water. So if you spot a fly, keep your eyes and ears peeled. If you do find some water in any of these manners, make sure you take the necessary precautions before drinking it. Boil the water or use a survival water straw as you don’t want to get ill from any nasty bacteria lurking in the water. We stock some great survival products on our website, so why not pay us a visit and take a look?