Desperate Bees

Desperate for water, that is. As I was leaving work today it was 39 degrees outside. This potted plant had attracted large numbers of bees:

On some leaves they were on the top surface, and on others they were underneath. Were they gathering water? I thought so at first but maybe it was just that the leaves were cooler than the air and they were resting, because this was about two metres away:

A trickle of water from a drainpipe attracting hundreds of bees. Beekeepers make sure their bees have water available, but these may be feral bees. They need the water to cool their hive on hot days, to keep the internal temperature at 35°C. They spread water around so that as it evaporates it cools the hive. On a day like today, that takes a lot of work.