The fernbush is in full bloom, but the flock of shiny little black bees has yet to appear. They always come for about a week and cover the candelabra flower plumes.

Meanwhile the honeybees continue their mysterious sweeping behavior, either, I think, harvesting pitch from the pine hive box, or applying a thin layer of propolis to protect the front from monsoonal moisture. Who knows?

And their comb-building frenzy brings them perilously close to the back wall of the hive. Very soon I’ll have to harvest a comb, to ensure that they have room to continue building; otherwise, if they get honey locked, they could leave altogether.