Page 58 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

56 THE MIRACLE OF THE HONEYBEE

directing the air current to the hive entrance and toward the combs.
On very hot days, bees use a rather stronger means of cooling. When
the temperature in the hive rises to a severe level, rather than bringing
pollen or nectar the foraging bees bring drops of water they’ve collected
38
from various sources and sprinkle these over the brood cells. They then
set up an air current with their wings to evaporate this water. Via this
39
method, the temperature soon returns to its previous level. In one exper-
iment, a hive was placed in direct sunlight on a day when the temperature
o
had risen to 50 degrees centigrade (122 F). The bees were observed to be
bringing in water constantly from a nearby source to keep the inside tem-
o
perature at 35 degrees centigrade (95 F).
Bees use a similar method to the one they employ in cooling the hive
when it comes to warming it during the winter. When the temperature
falls in the hive, they first come together in a large cluster. The outer crust

of bees varies between 2.5 and 7.5 centimeters (1 to 3 inches) thick, de-
pending on the intensity of the cold. The rest of the bees, which are inside,
are not as closely packed as those on the outside. These bees constantly
move, providing heat for the cluster. (It is known that at 10 degrees centi-
o
grade (or 50 F), a bee can produce 0.1 calories of heat per minute.) The
bees move about more in order to generate more heat. Those on the out-

Bees achieve temperature balance in the hive by a number of
methods. In the event that the hive temperature rises, the bees
beat their wings to set up a current to cool it off again. (Above and
side)