Located at Bourne Business Park in Weybridge are thousands of Honeybees amongst three hives. The infrared technology used shows a small amount that have reached temperatures of 30 degrees centigrade. These are called Heater Bees. They dislocate their wings, vibrate their wing muscles, and generate heat. This small amount of bees generate heat specifically to keep the whole colony warm during the winter.
Honeybees Reach 30 Degrees Centigrade in Winter at Bourne Business Park…
Up until only a few years ago, it was thought by many scientists that Honey bee hives were kept warm by pupae in the brood and that the bees would often congregate there to warm themselves up from the pupae. Recently, this was found not to be the case when a new Honey bee job was discovered, that of “heater bees.” Bees of almost all ages can perform this function by either vibrating their abdomens or they can also decouple their wings from their muscles, allowing them to vigorously use these muscles without actually moving their wings. More …
The most recent findings about heater bees reveal that they may actually be determining which pupae will perform which functions when they mature into adults. For example, pupae kept at 35 degrees C turn into foragers that search out sources of nectar and pollen, while pupae kept at 34 degrees C become “housekeeper bees” that perform chores within the brood nest such as feeding and cleaning. More …
The BeesMAX Honey Bee Science and Technology Library…
