Coping with the cold and fighting the heat: thermal homeostasis of a superorganism, the honeybee colony.

ABSTRACT: The worldwide distribution of honeybees and their fast propagation to new areas rests on their ability to keep up optimal 'tropical conditions' in their brood nest both in the cold and in the heat. Honeybee colonies behave like 'superorganisms' where individuals work together to promote reproduction of the colony. Social cooperation has developed strongly in thermal homeostasis, which guarantees a fast and constant development of the brood. We here report on the cooperation of individuals in reaction to environmental variation to achieve thermal constancy of 34-36 °C. The measurement of body temperature together with bee density and in-hive microclimate showed that behaviours for hive heating or cooling are strongly interlaced and differ in their start values. When environmental temperatur

SUBMITTER: Stabentheiner A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8079341 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature