Cool bees

Jul. 27—Local beekeepers are as busy as their tiny counterparts this week as they work to safeguard their hive boxes against sweltering heat baking the region.

Sharon Schmidt, president of the Phoenix chapter of Bee City USA, donned her beekeeper suit Saturday morning, braving the already staggering heat in long sleeves, hopeful to provide some small amount of cooling for her hives at Shooting Star Nursery in Central Point.

Trying to beat the hottest part of the day, Schmidt offered a tour to some local residents, educating them on beekeeping and talking about the challenges facing pollinators due to climate change and pesticide use.

All in suits, the small group checked on the half-dozen hives and had a brief Q&A session before Schmidt was off on a mission. Hitting the nearest grocery store, she returned with a supply of ice — bags and blocks. One by one, she piled the dripping, cold chunks of frozen water on top of the hives nestled in the trees behind the Taylor Road nursery.

"If it helps even a little bit, it's totally worth it," Schmidt said, sweat trickling down her temples.

"The biggest thing we can do for them is to make sure they have access to water while it's so unbearably hot. They apply the drops of water to the combs with their tongues and then evaporate it to cool the hive."

Schmidt, who also heads the nonprofit Cascade Girl Organization, dedicated to the survival of pollinators, said hot weather isn't usually too big of a concern for bees until temperatures climb into the upper 90s and beyond.

"We're headed for a week of triple digits. The next four or five days are going to be horrendous for them, so if I can help them with evaporative cooling — and thermal cooling because this will accomplish both — then it's worth it," she said, pulling two more bags of ice from her pickup truck.

Schmidt and others around the valley all had their own tricks up their sleeves for helping ease stress on hives. The biggest pieces of advice: water supply and shade.

Mike Curtis, owner of Oregon Bee Store and a beekeeper for more than three decades, said ice bags weren't as viable an option for larger, commercial operations, but keeping water supplies nearby and creating additional shade was crucial.

"If you've got one or two, or just a few hives, you probably can do the ice. Typically, what the commercial beekeepers do is try to make sure you've got some kind of shading, or you rig something up. If you haven't started the hives yet, the best piece of advice is to set up in a yard that will be in the shade during the middle — and hottest — time of day," Curtis said.

Curtis reiterated that access to water can make the difference for hives trying to survive dangerously hot days.

"If they only have to fly 50 feet, it's just a quick jump for them, whereas if they have to fly a half-mile or they're searching for water during those temperatures, it's a lot harder on their bodies in the heat of the day, Curtis said.

"Once it gets over 96, 97 degrees, all they're trying to do, at that point, is keep their hive cool, so it doesn't melt down. It's survival mode. If they can't keep the hive cool, the combs will melt and disintegrate and fall out the entrance."

Curtis encouraged multiple water sources in close proximity.

"Having a water source right there, in the bee yard, keeps them from having to go too far. You can put water in the entrance to the hives, and they'll be able to keep themselves cooler because they're not having to fly to find water."

A word of warning to amateur or newbie beekeepers — if you're hot, they're hot.

"Typically, about 140 degrees would be completely melting, so when we get to 100 degrees, things get really soft and the weight of the honey starts to pull everything down," Curtis added.

"I don't work my bees once it gets up toward 92 degrees. I don't want to disrupt their flow pattern for keeping the hive cool. They're busy keeping the hive cool. They take the water in, and then they beat their wings — 250 times per second — and fan it like a swamp cooler."

Help the Bees

With spring flowers nearly bloomed out, bees will have a harder time finding food during late summer and fall. Local nurseries and beekeepers encourage people to replace grass with bee-friendly greenery, such as clover or thyme, and plant nectar-providing plants that thrive between July and October.

Eric Hagerman, of Shooting Star Nursery, says to be sure to purchase plants free of neonicotinoids or other pesticides, which are toxic to bees.

Heat-loving, drought-tolerant plants recommended by Hagerman include salvias (autumn sage), zauschneria (California fuchsia), Perovskia (Russian/blue sage) and Solidago (goldenrod).

For a list of pollinator-friendly plants, see the Shooting Star Nursery website at roguevalleynursery.com/plantlists/other-plant-lists/pollinator-friendly-plants

Reach Mail Tribune reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or bpollock@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.