The water carriers

Well spring turned out to be the coldest in 50 years according to the London Times but with the switch to 'meteorological summer time' on the 1st June the temperature has been above 15 C for the last 2 days; we are having a heatwave! So as you would expect the bees have been busy foraging and bring in....water.
When it's warm the bees know that a good source of water is the damp soil in the plant pots on our patio, because the warmer it gets, the more we water. Sometimes we leave it a day or two and the soil surface dries out, but that doesn't deter the bees; they simple drink the water from the tap!
Consequently, on a warm day before turning on the outside water tap its wise to check that there isn't a bee or two up the spout sipping on a residual drop.
Collecting water can be dangerous for bees. The bourne that runs along the edge of the fields has water all year long, but it is flowing too fast for bees to risk approaching. Muddy puddles soon dry up and those that don't contain unhealthy stagnant water that can make bees ill. Early rising bumble bees can take advantage of the morning dew, but my teenage honey bees wont stir until the sun is long up and the dew all gone. So getting water can be a challenge, which is why many beekeepers provide their bees with a water source such as bowl full of small pebbles that is regularly topped up with tap water.
Most of the water is used to cool the hives by dampening the comb which the bees then fan with their wings. On a hot day up to 80 or so bees can be tasked with carrying almost a litre of water back to the hive. It's thirsty work.