You won’t be able to access one of the most popular areas inside of Joshua Tree National Park this week.
Officials have announced the temporary closure at Keys View because of a high number of bees in the area. Access to the area will be closed from June 24 until July 2 due to concerns over visitor safety, the park announced in a press release.
The park has a plan for dispersing the bees:
Bees need water for a variety of reasons, but especially in the heat of the summer to cool their hives. It is estimated that a hive requires a liter of water or more each day during hot summer days. By removing the bee buckets and not allowing visitors to provide water (dumping out water bottles, AC condenser units); it will force established hives in the area to move due to a lack of a consistent water source.
Officials will monitoring results during the week and hope the action significantly reduces the number of bees in the area.
