These are new apples forming in our orchard. They would not have been possible had the bees not pollinated the flowers to make them turn to fruit.
We can thank bees and other beneficial pollinators for many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy every day! So be kind to bees, and don't spray your garden with poisonous pesticides.
This is the chicken waterer we use to provide water to our bees. There are sticks and stones in the basin so that the bees can climb down to the water, but won't drown in it.
As we mentioned last week, the bees bring the water into the hive, place it in cells in the comb, and on hot days they fan it with their wings to make it evaporate. In this way, they provide natural air conditioning for their home.
Today it was 85 degrees outside; can you imagine how hot it would be inside the hive, if the bees didn't fan the air to circulate it?
Here is a close-up of a bee getting water from the chicken waterer. Remember, all the worker bees, who collect the pollen and nectar and water, and who build the cells in the hive, are females. You go, girls!
The bees return to the hive and deposit the water in comb cells.
Here you can just barely make out the dark, shadowy shapes of several bees standing in the entrance, facing inside the hive (just in front of the lowest row of bees heading inside).
They are standing with their heads facing inside the hive, and are fanning their wings to circulate the air back and forth in the entryway. They are emiting a pheromone (scent) that tells their hivemates that this is home, and at the same time getting the warm air out of the hive and bringing cooler air in.
Standing next to the hive, you can actually hear the hum of their wings. (And the hives are starting to smell like honey, too!)
Other bees are up near the cells which hold water, far inside the hive, fanning at the same time to circulate the air in that section.
Everyone works together to keep the hive cool and in tip-top shape!
Q: What do you think the bees do in the wintertime, when the air outside the hive is cold instead of hot? Visit next week for the answer!
(Jeff was gone week four.)
