Today's temperature here in St Louis reached 105*F (before caclulating in the heat index!)

At 8pm tonight, when the temperature was still 96*F, I took a stroll into the yard, and when I walked past the hives I noticed they were all hanging out on the landing board (called bearding) trying to cool themselves.



They are on a stand with an open bottom, and I'm using screened bottom boards, with a ventilated inner cover with notch, but it's just plain hot outside!

I found it interesting that they didn't hang all over the sides of the box and spread out to where each bee could have it's own space. Instead they crowded the landing board, and when no more would fit, they clung to each other (festooning) and dangled off the edge of the landing board.

I seriously considered having a campfire out in the backyard tonight, that is, until I felt beads of sweat forming and dripping off my face.

I headed back inside to the air conditioning, not being envious of the bees who live in my yard, on a hot, muggy St. Louis summer night!

Update
I went out this evening (July 10th) and got a picture of the bees on the blue/purple hive at 10p.m. The outside temperature was 93*F with humidity of 76% and current heat index of 106*F!