All together now.
Fig. 3. Dr Michel Roydon
Maintenance of colony temperatures is extremely important to larval development, queen protection and the survival of workers and drones within the structure. Although many social insects produce these structures which require stable temperatures, the cavity-nesting honeybee species Apis mellifera and A. cerana display the most advanced temperature regulation. The extremely stenothermic nature of honeybee larvae and pupae means that any fluctuation outside a temperature range of 32-36°C can result in deformities such as shriveled wings and legs, malformations of the abdomen, and neural or behavioral insufficiencies. Consequences such as this emphasize thermal stability of the nest climate, and thus these insects greatly benefit from their social behavior and division of labour. At young ages, the brood have relatively low metabolic rates and lack endothermic abilities. They compensate for this inability using behavioural mechanisms including entering empty cells and persisting in warm brood nest areas. As their development progresses, a shift in task divisions gradually occurs. Workers and drones provide warmth through both active and passive mechanisms to nurse the developing brood. This includes basal metabolic heat production, active heat production by hive bees and drones via migratory movements. In a bid to maintain temperatures below 36°C, social control of colony ventilation occurs by active fanning and heat shielding of brood larvae (Starks et al. 2004).