Summer heat is the norm for many of us. "Hot enough for ya?" is often heard and not really meant to be a question, but more of a statement.
Humans have the benefit of stepping inside and getting a break from the heat courtesy of mechanical air conditioning. But what about bees, which live in a multi-story "building" that has no mechanical air conditioning, yet need to keep the interior as cool as possible?
Honey bees need to keep their hives cool enough to maintain the strength and integrity of the honeycomb. If the bee hive temperatures get too hot, the wax comb will weaken and collapse. That damages both the honey stores and wax cells that foster the future bees of the hive.
A fully laden frame of honey, depending on size, can weigh 5 to 11 pounds. If you have 10 frames in a hive box, that can be upwards of 100 pounds of weight.
To cool their hives, you may see the bees "bearding" outside the entrance of the hive. Literally, hundreds or thousands of bees will move outside to help keep the inside of the hive cool. Often, this is mistaken for swarming.
If you look closely enough, you might notice several lines of bees gathered around the interior of the hive entrance with their heads facing out and rears pointing in, fanning their wings. This creates air flow through the hive and helps cool it.
Bees will also use water to help cool the interior of the hive through evaporation. Certain bees have the task of finding a water source, filling their stomachs with water and then spitting that water out throughout the interior of the hive. Air flow over the water creates evaporation, which cools the hive.
Bees are pretty fascinating and crafty engineers!
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