Heat Dome
Today (Wednesday, 1 July 2026) was only the first day of the forecasted four-day intense heat wave (‘heat dome’) that’s installed itself over a significant portion of the United States, including the Northeast.
Even though it’s only the first day, the oppressive nature of this weather phenomenon is already remarkable and scary. It makes me worry for those who cannot afford air conditioning or – shudder – have no fans or even windows in their homes. It makes me realize how profoundly fortunate I am to simply have a window unit.
We’re trying to be responsible with our energy consumption by only running one a/c unit - in our living room. That is until bedtime, of course. But I don’t turn on the unit in our bedroom window until I’ve come upstairs for the night.
It’s actually supposed to get hotter and hotter each day through Saturday. Yikes.
In the meantime, I was curious to see how the bees are doing. They’ve been literally draining and then licking clean every single day the biggest (quart size) red glass hummingbird feeder that hangs on our porch. I’ve decided to stop providing them with hummingbird syrup, though.
The bees don’t seem to mind that I diluted the sugar water a LOT more than usual. 1 July 26.
Instead, I’m putting a very small amount (perhaps ¼ cup?) of ‘bee syrup’ (the 1:1 concoction I make to ‘feed’ the bees - as opposed to the 1:3 or 1:4 sugar to water proportions I feed the hummingbirds) into the feeder, and then filling it to the brim with plain cold tap water. All told, it probably results in the feeder being filled with about a 1:15 to 1:20 ratio of sugar to water. I figure that proportion is just enough to both wet their sugar whistles and give them a little boost of energy. I actually think water is what’s most essential for their survival in this moment.
I’m going to fill that feeder as many times as they need it tomorrow and through the rest of the week. I’m also going to clean out and fill the birdbaths to the brim (so it’s easy for the bees to access the water without drowning) at least twice a day too.
The decision to closely monitor their water resources was initially on my radar anyway, but going behind the barn and seeing with my own eyes how the bees are dealing with it all makes me extra committed to taking care of the bees and the birds (and all the living things on our land, including the squirrels, chippies, etc.). There are a lot of thirsty creatures outside.
(Photos of the bee hives - which are amazing - will come tomorrow.)
I hope all of you are finding your sweetest, coolest spot where you can ride out this heat dome, and giving yourselves permission to just be. Be gentle with yourselves in body, mind, and spirit. The next few days will almost certainly be a real mixed bag as far as our emotions are concerned, and the heat and humidity will only add to the overall stress.
Take really good care of yourselves, my friends. It’s hell out there.
I also put out a “puddler” for butterflys and bees. I fill a shallow container with stones/pebbles and add water. I have had to do that at least twice a day as we are in day 3 of the heat dome.