When temperatures climb past 95 degrees, colonies switch from nectar foraging to emergency climate control. Worker bees fan hard at the entrance, nurse bees spread droplets of water across the comb, and the whole hive hums like a box fan on a porch.

At this time of year, a dependable water source is essential. A shallow pan filled with water and pebbles lets bees drink without drowning.

Heat matters because a honeybee can run up to 27 degrees Fahrenheit above the surrounding air. On a 90-degree day, that can push a honeybee dangerously close to 113 degrees, the point where enzymes and flight muscles begin to fail.

In controlled flight tests, nectar-laden workers lowered their wing beat frequency and lengthened each stroke to cut the heat they produce, holding their thorax near 104 degrees. This keeps them airborne on scorching hot days, but at a cost. They make fewer trips and are less productive. Bees abandon flowers for shade or shorten flights during the hottest hours, trading production for survival.

The heat also limits our management choices. For example, formic acid mite treatments are off the table when the thermometer soars. Malnutrition, pesticides and pathogens all erode a bee’s ability to tolerate higher temperatures.

For many of us, mid-July through August is extraction season. A long-standing rule still holds true: pull only frames that are at least 80% capped. Anything less stays with the bees. When you collect supers, harvest them quickly because robbing pressure can be brutal at this time of year. Check with a refractometer. If it reads above 18% moisture, set that honey in a room with a dehumidifier overnight before you jar.

Winter feels far away on a humid August afternoon, yet this is exactly when a wise beekeeper begins to plan for it. The colonies that reach October heavy with bees and stores are the colonies that survive.

Bee Guide

Penn State Extension has released “Bees of Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Genera” as a free resource. The field guide is filled with photographs and covers all 47 bee genera found in the commonwealth. It includes simple identification tips and notes on ecology and life history. You can download it at no cost from the Penn State Extension store.

Penn State Study

A recent Penn State-led study reminds us that the best foraging spots can vary dramatically across a field.

On a blueberry farm in Maine, researchers planted 120 microsensors that recorded temperature and humidity every 10 minutes during bloom. They discovered a patchwork of microclimates that differed by up to 10 degrees Celsius and 29% relative humidity. They then linked those readings with detailed counts of flowers, visits by wild bees, and the locations of honeybee hives.

Both managed honeybees and wild bees concentrated their work in the warmest, most flower-rich pockets of the field. Wild bees showed extra flexibility by starting earlier in the day and working across a wider range of conditions, yet the team found no sign that honeybee numbers pushed wild bees aside.

Flower density, which was greatest in warmer spots, proved to be the single strongest predictor of bee activity and fruit set, and it directly drove blueberry yields. Because high yield areas lined up with warmer microclimates, the researchers warn that climate driven shifts in field temperatures could widen yield gaps within farms.

Lead author Heather Grab suggests that precision agriculture tools can turn that risk into an opportunity. The project brought together the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research, the University of Pittsburgh Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Wyman’s, one of the largest wild blueberry growers in the nation. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture provided key funding. The work shows how fine-scale climate mapping can turn ecological insight into practical action on the farm as global pollinator declines raise the stakes for every bush and every bee.

Mite Problem

Commercial beekeepers have just endured one of the harshest losses on record, losing an average of 60% of their colonies, roughly 1.7 million hives. A June bulletin from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service points to Varroa destructor mites that have evolved resistance to Amitraz. Scientists found resistant mites and the viruses they vector, including deformed wing virus and acute bee paralysis virus, in virtually every collapsed colony they sampled.

For many large operations, Amitraz has been the mainstay treatment. Without it, costs rise as bigger operations pivot to organic acids or repeated brood breaks. Smaller apiaries have shown that stacking nonchemical tactics can work. Screened bottom boards, timed brood breaks, and queens selected for mite resistance can help keep mite loads in check.

The message is simple. Rotate modes of action and integrate IPM controls to avoid resistance. There is no silver bullet, and the mite problem magnifies every other stressor, from habitat loss to pesticide exposure to climate swings.

Reorganization at USDA

U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins has announced a reorganization of the department to refocus on its core mission of supporting American farming, ranching and forestry.

After a full review of operations and finances, the department will move much of its Washington workforce to five regional hubs in Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Because 90% of employees already work outside the capital, this relocation is meant to place staff nearer to the people they serve. It is a reorganization, not a mass layoff.

As leases expire, the department will vacate Braddock Place, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the George Washington Carver Center, and the South Building, while keeping offices in the Whitten and Yates buildings.

Regionally, the plan will trim management layers and merge duplicate functions to improve efficiency and save money. The shift will roll out in phases with a promise of transparency and an effort to reduce personal disruption.

The Bee Research Laboratory, which has been housed at Beltsville since 1935 and traces its roots back to 1891, is the oldest federal apiculture facility in the nation. Its mission remains the same: Improve the health of honeybee colonies and ensure enough pollination power for American crops.

It’s our sincere hope that they have a footprint in each of the five new regions moving forward.