Thermoregulation

Bees maintain the brood area of the hive at approximately 93°F (34°C). When the ambient temperature rises above 93°F (34°C), worker bees cool the interior of the hive by fanning air over droplets of water. Conversely, when the temperature drops below 93°F (34°C), worker bees cluster around the brood nest and vibrate their wing muscles to generate heat. Individual bees are cold-blooded, but considered as a single organism, they are “warm-blooded.” The colony superorganism behaves like a warm-blooded animal in that it maintains a constant temperature despite fluctuations in the ambient temperature outside the hive.