Staying Cool in the Summer Heat

As temperature start to rise in the next few weeks, it is important to give our bees access to plenty of water close to the hives.

Photo: Transporting around 200 gallons of water to the hives using The Bee Truck.

Bees use water to keep the hives cool by “fanning” the water throughout the hives by flapping their wings, similar to how a swamp cooler works to cool down a house. This helps keep the hive at a constant temperature inside of between 92-97 degrees, even when outside temperatures rise above 100 degrees. Making sure there is water close by is essential for the health of the hive, as the bees “rear” brood (baby bees) throughout the summer.

Photos: Putting sticks in the water container is a simple way to give the bees a landing pad for collecting water to bring back to the hive (top). We transport the water using a hose from the container on the flat bed to a container already on the ground by the hives (bottom).

Stay tuned for upcoming posts about summer bee keeping activities!