Honey Bee Convention? No, They’re “Bearding”

California is in the midst of a record heat wave. It is so hot that for the first time the outside of our beehive was covered with bees, a ritual known as “bearding.”  In simple terms it is too hot inside the hive for the brood–the bee eggs–so, the bees leave and cling to the sides of the hive until the hive cools. I noticed the bearding around 1:30 p.m.. By 5 p.m. they were back inside–the hive is shaded in mid-afternoon.