Hot bees in empty broodnest cells: heating from within
https://ift.tt/2IRXO8l
Honeybee colonies maintain brood nest temperatures of 33–36°C. We investigated brood nest thermoregulation at the level of individual worker behaviour and the transfer of heat from workers to the brood. Worker bees contribute to the regulation of brood nest temperature by producing heat while sit...
Message: Welcome to July! Tuck this post away for winter! Did you know that spotty brood does not always mean you have a failing queen? Did you know that there are bees within the hive that are heater bees? Spotty brood can be a way the colony heats the brood as warmth is best conducted when the thorax touches an adjacent capped brood cell and the heat can be felt up to three cells away! "We find that many bees that are apparently resting inside empty cells in the brood comb are participating in the regulation of brood temperature by serving as a heat source for the neighbouring, sealed, brood cells. This hitherto unrecognised thermal activity of bees inside cells is remarkable because long-duration cell visitors were previously considered to be resting and also because heat production inside cells provides a way to transfer heat to the brood more efficiently than heating via the brood caps. Heat transfer is 1.9–2.6 times more efficient when the thorax is in touch with the brood cap than when it is not. Heating inside empty cells raises the brood temperature of adjacent cells by up to 2.5°C within 30 min. Heat flow through the comb was detectable up to three brood cells away from the heated thorax." https://ift.tt/2IRXO8l
https://ift.tt/2IRXO8l
Honeybee colonies maintain brood nest temperatures of 33–36°C. We investigated brood nest thermoregulation at the level of individual worker behaviour and the transfer of heat from workers to the brood. Worker bees contribute to the regulation of brood nest temperature by producing heat while sit...
Message: Welcome to July! Tuck this post away for winter! Did you know that spotty brood does not always mean you have a failing queen? Did you know that there are bees within the hive that are heater bees? Spotty brood can be a way the colony heats the brood as warmth is best conducted when the thorax touches an adjacent capped brood cell and the heat can be felt up to three cells away! "We find that many bees that are apparently resting inside empty cells in the brood comb are participating in the regulation of brood temperature by serving as a heat source for the neighbouring, sealed, brood cells. This hitherto unrecognised thermal activity of bees inside cells is remarkable because long-duration cell visitors were previously considered to be resting and also because heat production inside cells provides a way to transfer heat to the brood more efficiently than heating via the brood caps. Heat transfer is 1.9–2.6 times more efficient when the thorax is in touch with the brood cap than when it is not. Heating inside empty cells raises the brood temperature of adjacent cells by up to 2.5°C within 30 min. Heat flow through the comb was detectable up to three brood cells away from the heated thorax." https://ift.tt/2IRXO8l
RSS Feed
