Check it out, our bee hive is growing a beard. It’s so “hipster” of them!

We’ve had several days this week with temperatures over 90 degrees, which means the honeybees have been…

Hot! Hot! Hot!

If only they could turn on the air conditioning…oh, wait…that’s what wings are for!

When it gets too hot the bees quickly enter and exit the hive and use their wings to “fan” the heat and cool things down. And if the bees get tired of fanning, they just go outside and hang onto each other in clusters a.k.a bearding. It’s actually cooler on the outside of the hive then it is on the inside.

The honeybees have been bearding almost everyday this week and it typically happens in late afternoon during the hottest part of the day. As the temperature finally cools off near sunset, the honeybees will slowly make their way back into the hive for the night.

As beekeepers we do all sorts of things to help the bees stay cool. We make sure they have a nearby water source, that the hives are in a location where they get afternoon shade, and that the hives are painted white to reflect the sun!

My pictures of honeybees bearding just reminded me of something I’ve seen in the news; the “flower beard” trend sweeping across the United States…true hipster bearding!

The honeybees would be proud!