If the bee’s body temperature drops below 41 degrees, they cannot operate their bodies anymore, which leads to them not being able to shiver and freeze to death. On warmer or sunny days, the worker bees can afford to go outside and relieve themselves, because there is a strict rule: No pooping inside the hive. Keeping it warm inside the hive is of high importance because if it gets too cold, all the stored honey will freeze and they will not have anything to feed the queen or themselves. For a beehive to manage to keep this process running, it has to have a lot of honey stored- average calculations show, that the worker bees need around 30 pounds of honey to maintain their body temperature and to have enough energy to keep the queen warm. To keep every bee warm, they tend to rotate, so everyone can get his spot in the middle. For the queen in the middle to feel well, she needs a temperature of 80 degrees, at the edge of the hive the temperature is around 46 degrees, everything under that is unpleasant or even life-threatening for the bees. By forming a cluster with all bees on top of each other and shivering, they manage not only to create heat but to also keep it where it is most needed. 80 F at the center and around 46 F at the edge of the hive! How Do Bees Warm The Hive in The Winter?Īs mentioned above, bees use their bodies to warm the queen and the hive. By gathering around the mother bee, forming a “winter cluster”, they shiver and generate heat. Honeybees do not hibernate in the winter because they have to keep the nest and more important their queen warm. Why Honeybees Don`t Hibernate As Other Insects?
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