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How Las Vegas Bees Beat the Desert Heat (And How You Can Help)
- Pete Rizzo
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
As temperatures soar well into the triple digits, the desert landscape bakes, presenting a significant challenge for all its inhabitants – including our favorite pollinators, the bees.
Do you ever wonder how do bees cope with such extreme heat?
Bees are remarkably resilient, but the relentless heat of the Mojave Desert pushes their natural coping mechanisms to the limit. Understanding how they manage, and knowing how we can lend a hand, can help with their survival, and the health of our local ecosystem.
Nature's Air Conditioning: How Bees Cool Themselves
Honeybees, in particular, have evolved strategies to regulate the temperature inside their hives, aiming to keep the brood nest (where larvae develop) around a stable 93-95°F (34-35°C), even when it's 115°F outside.
Water Collection & Evaporative Cooling: This is their primary defense. Forager bees switch from primarily collecting nectar and pollen to collecting water. They bring water back to the hive and spread thin layers of it over the honeycomb surfaces and developing brood cells.
Fanning Brigades: Worker bees position themselves near the hive entrance and throughout the hive, vigorously beating their wings. This creates air currents that circulate air, draw out hot, moist air, and evaporate the collected water – acting just like a natural swamp cooler. You can often hear a distinct humming sound from a hive working hard to cool itself.
Bearding: On extremely hot days, you might see a large cluster of bees hanging on the outside of the hive entrance, resembling a fuzzy beard. This isn't swarming! It's a deliberate tactic to reduce the number of bodies inside the hive, decreasing the internal heat load and improving airflow for the fanners.
Reduced Activity: During the hottest parts of the day, bees may reduce their foraging activity to conserve energy and avoid overheating. They'll often focus foraging during the slightly cooler early morning and late evening hours.
The Las Vegas Challenge: Why Our Heat is Different
While bees everywhere deal with summer heat, Las Vegas presents unique hurdles:
Intensity and Duration: Our heat isn't just a brief wave; it's a prolonged period of extreme temperatures.
Aridity: The low humidity means water evaporates very quickly, forcing bees to work constantly to collect enough water for cooling.
Water Scarcity: Natural water sources can be few and far between in the desert, especially during drought conditions. Swimming pools, while tempting, are often chlorinated and dangerous drowning traps for bees.
Signs Your Bees (or the Local Bees) Are Struggling with Heat
For Beekeepers:
Excessive Bearding: While some bearding is normal, a huge beard lasting day and night, even when temperatures dip slightly, indicates severe internal heat stress.
Melted or Sagging Comb: In extreme cases, the beeswax can soften and even melt, potentially collapsing and destroying brood and honey stores.
Reduced Brood Production: The queen may slow or stop laying eggs if the colony can't maintain the proper brood nest temperature.
Agitation: Bees might seem more defensive or agitated than usual.
For Everyone:
Bees Desperately Seeking Water: Seeing large numbers of bees congregating around leaky faucets, irrigation emitters, pet water bowls, or pool edges is a sign they're struggling to find adequate water sources.
How You Can Help Bees Stay Cool and Hydrated in Las Vegas
Whether you manage hives or just want to support local pollinators, here's how you can make a difference:
For Beekeepers:
Provide a Reliable Water Source: This is paramount. Set up a dedicated bee waterer near your hives (but not so close it attracts robbers). A shallow dish or birdbath filled with pebbles, marbles, corks, or twigs allows bees to land safely and drink without drowning. Keep it consistently filled with fresh water. Avoid open buckets or deep containers.
Ensure Good Ventilation: Use screened bottom boards for upward airflow. Prop the outer cover slightly using small shims or sticks (ensure it's still secure against wind). Consider adding an upper entrance/ventilation hole. Remove entrance reducers during peak heat to maximize airflow (unless robbing is a major issue).
Provide Afternoon Shade: Hives benefit immensely from shade during the hottest part of the day (typically afternoon and late afternoon).
Ideal Placement: Site hives where they get morning sun (to encourage foraging) but receive shade from a building, tree, or shade cloth structure in the afternoon.
Retrofit Shade: If moving hives isn't feasible, create temporary shade using shade cloth, a board leaned against the hive, or even strategically placed patio umbrellas (secure them well!).
Monitor Hive Conditions: Regularly check for signs of excessive heat stress, sagging comb, and water availability. Adjust ventilation or shade as needed. Avoid intensive hive inspections during the peak heat of the day, as this disrupts their cooling efforts.
Consider Hive Insulation (Carefully): While counterintuitive, some insulated hive bodies can help moderate both heat and cold, but ensure they don't trap moisture and have adequate ventilation.
For All Las Vegas Residents:
Offer Safe Water Sources: You don't need hives to help! Set out a shallow dish of water with landing spots (pebbles, corks, twigs) in your yard or on your patio. Place it away from high-traffic areas. Refresh it daily to keep it clean and prevent mosquito breeding. Bird baths with sloped sides or added stones work well too.
Plant Drought-Tolerant, Bee-Friendly Flowers: Choose native or desert-adapted plants that provide nectar and pollen. Blooming plants offer food sources closer to home, reducing foraging stress during extreme heat. Good choices include desert marigold, globemallow, brittlebush, and various cacti species.
Avoid Pesticides, Especially During the Day: Pesticides are harmful to bees. If you must treat pests, do so in the late evening or early morning when bees are less active, and always follow label instructions carefully. Opt for bee-safe alternatives whenever possible.
Be Tolerant of Bees Seeking Water: If you see bees at your birdbath or a leaky hose, understand they're likely desperate. Fix leaks promptly, but also consider adding a dedicated safe water source nearby for them.
A Collective Effort for a Cooler Buzz
Las Vegas summers are tough, but bees are incredible survivors. Understanding their needs during our hottest months and taking simple steps – providing water, ensuring shade and ventilation for hives, planting supportive plants, and being mindful of our practices – we can significantly ease their burden.
Helping bees survive the desert heat isn't just good for them; it's important for the pollination of our local plants, gardens, and the overall health of our unique desert environment. Let's work together to keep Las Vegas buzzing, even when the temperature climbs.
Betsy and Pete
Las Vegas, Nevada
About Us: The Authors
We're Betsy and Pete, passionate Las Vegas beekeepers trained by a master in the field. With hundreds of successful bee and bee swarm removals under our belts, we're not just experts; we're enthusiasts committed to the well-being of these incredible pollinators.
We manage dozens of beehives, both natural and honey-bearing at our Joshua Tree Preserve.
Our Commitment to Excellence
Education is an ongoing journey, especially in a dynamic field such as beekeeping. That's why we continually update our knowledge base, collaborate with other experts, and stay up to date with the latest advancements in bee control methods and beekeeping practices.
We also provide top-tier beekeeping supplies, offering everything a beekeeper needs, from beginners to experts.