The bee epigram for this chapter explains that communication is key. In the chapter, Lily makes an amazing discovery by being very direct with May.
It is July 28 and the temperature is going up to 103 degrees. Lily wakes August to water the bees. On the way to the hives, August turns on the radio and hears news of the moon landing, several missing Civil Rights workers, and the escalation of the Vietnam War. They reach the hives and, while watering them to cool them down, Lily is stung. August tells her she is now a true beekeeper, and Lily is proud of herself. They return to the house, and all three sisters plus Lily and Rosaleen have a water-sprinkler fight. Even June joins in and by the time it's over, June hugs Lily.
The heat goes to 104 degrees, and everyone takes to her bed. This gives Lily time to think. She is rapidly reaching a point where she has to tell August about her past; she is simply working too hard to keep it all in. Lily still yearns for her mother, but maturity has softened the blow. She wants to talk about God and ask why He let the world get away from His original idea of paradise.
