Extreme heat difficult on the honeybees

Hot, dry summer weather is difficult for all — and honeybees are no exception. When we experience a period of significantly reduced precipitation, it’s referred to as a drought.   Honeybees suffer from two types of droughts, the first being the shortage of water and the second being a shortage of nectar and pollen from plants.  
Honeybees need water to feed the young bee larvae and to cool their colony through evaporative cooling. They collect water from many sources such as water puddles, ponds, water fountains, bird baths, leaky hose fittings, air conditioner condensate. If you want to help the bees in your yard, keep some water in a birdbath or garden fountain. Watch closely and you’ll see them collecting it for their hive.
When plants are stressed, they stop producing nectar and pollen. This is called a dearth and may or may not coincide with a shortage of water. During a dearth, honeybees will be stressed. They tend to be more agitated and will seek sugary fluid from any source available, like soda cans, hummingbird feeders, ripe fruit, etc. If you experience bees around your bird feeders or soda cans, it’s a safe bet that we are in a dearth.
Dearth is not limited to the summertime. We have many fall blooming plants that provide nectar late into the year. If we have an early fall killing frost and then daytime temperatures above 50 degrees, the bees will fly from the hive seeking nectar and pollen sources. This quest for nectar and pollen will use up the honey that the bees have stored in the hive before the spring bloom begins.  
In the Conroe area, a colony of bees will use 30 to 40 pounds of stored honey to get through the winter. In some northern states, bees will need 120–140 pounds for the winter.  If we have an early killing frost and a late spring, many honeybee colonies will starve to death because they have used up their stored honey. To prevent the loss of these valuable pollinators, beekeepers monitor the weight of their hives and will feed sugar syrup to the colonies to counter periods of dearth.
So, when we notice the high temperatures and the brown, stressed turf or trees, remember that our pollinator friends are suffering, too. They benefit from us providing water for them and offering vital nourishment when it’s needed.