Bees keep cool in several fascinating ways, all working together to help maintain the hive at around 32-35°C.
One of the main ways bees cool the hive is by collecting water and using the warm air inside the hive to evaporate it, working much like an evaporative air conditioning unit. During hot weather, a hive can drink up to a litre of water a day while trying to maintain a cool temperature.
Each bee may make between 50-100 trips a day, carrying around 25-40mg of water per trip to help cool the colony. This becomes even more effective when combined with bees flapping their wings to move air around the hive and improve airflow.
Bees will also move towards areas that are hotter inside the hive, prioritising the brood and developing bee larvae. They absorb heat into their bodies from the honeycomb before travelling outside to dissipate the heat, effectively using their bodies like tiny ice packs.
Another common behaviour during warm weather is “bearding”, where bees relocate to the outside of the hive entrance. By forming a beard of bees outside the hive, they reduce congestion and heat build-up inside the colony.
In extreme heat, bees may abscond en masse, leaving the hive completely in search of somewhere cooler to live.
For such small creatures, bees are incredibly effective at working together to regulate temperature and protect the colony, especially during the height of summer.
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