"A bee is never as busy as it seems; it's just that it can't buzz any slower." -Kin Hubbard
Thermoregulation in insects is just one of the remarkable physiological adaptations that has led to their successful diversification. We see an even finer evolution of certain regulatory traits within the group of social insects, which exhibit behaviours capable of controlling both individual and colonial temperature fluctuations. Although a stable body temperature was originally considered evidence of the most complex and advanced physiological trait, deviations from a narrow range of endothermic temperatures are now recognized as adaptive responses to the environment.
The expansive geographic ranges that insects have colonized include deserts and tropical rainforests, right across to the High Arctic. One genus, which demonstrates extraordinary thermoregulatory capabilities at both the individual and colonial level are the bees. In order to fly, forage, incubate their young and create a constant ambient temperature within their colonies, thermoregulat3ion plays a huge part. At the individual level, wing muscle stimulation drastically increases the bee’s body temperature from near ambient temperature to greater than 30°C, in preparation for flight. The mechanisms by which they achieve stable body temperatures during flight have not been well studied. Instead the focus of most research has been the regulation of temperatures within the colony, by means of morphology, physiology and behaviour.
This website aims to explain the mechanisms of thermoregulation at both the individual and colony level, using honeybees as an example. It also gives a case study of the Arctic bees, which exhibit phenomenal thermoregulatory abilities in hostile environments.
The expansive geographic ranges that insects have colonized include deserts and tropical rainforests, right across to the High Arctic. One genus, which demonstrates extraordinary thermoregulatory capabilities at both the individual and colonial level are the bees. In order to fly, forage, incubate their young and create a constant ambient temperature within their colonies, thermoregulat3ion plays a huge part. At the individual level, wing muscle stimulation drastically increases the bee’s body temperature from near ambient temperature to greater than 30°C, in preparation for flight. The mechanisms by which they achieve stable body temperatures during flight have not been well studied. Instead the focus of most research has been the regulation of temperatures within the colony, by means of morphology, physiology and behaviour.
This website aims to explain the mechanisms of thermoregulation at both the individual and colony level, using honeybees as an example. It also gives a case study of the Arctic bees, which exhibit phenomenal thermoregulatory abilities in hostile environments.