Having 6,000 bees in our backyard has been so great! We hardly even notice them. Their hive is in a back corner, under a shady tree. They zip in and out of the yard, coming in over the garage and dipping down into their hive. We really don't see them in the back yard at all, except when they're flying in and out, and that's way over our heads. After his first few bees stings Sam has learned to steer clear of the hive, which basically means not sticking his nose right in it. They really don't mind if you're close to their hive, only if you're really, really close.
Since spring we've added two short supers, those are the ones that hold the honey we'll be eating come fall! The bottom is the nursery, where the queen lays her eggs and the workers hatch them and feed them. The box above that is full of their winter food storage.
In this heat they spend a lot of time outside the hive in a big mass just fanning their wings and staying cool. Word is it gets pretty hot in that hive! I keep a bowl of water on top of the hive for them so they don't make a nuisance of themselves dipping into neighbor's swimming pools and whatnot.
Oh, and the other time we see them, aside from the swooping in and out of the yard, is in our garden! Sam loves to spot them and point them out to me. They've done a wonderful job pollinating our garden and seem to especially love anything with purple blooms; sage, lavender, basil.
