Worker responsibilities
Fanning
A behavioural strategy employed by the worker bees to decrease the ambient temperature of the colony. By positioning themselves on the entries of the hive, and "fanning" their wings, they can create a small air current which ventilates the colony. Although each bee only creates a small air current individually, together the effect is amplified and proves to be an effective strategy (Starks et al. 2004).
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Shielding
A behavioural strategy employed by the worker bees to decrease the temperature for the brooding larvae. Positioning themselves on the hive's interior region decreases the transfer of heat from the outside to the inside of the colony structure (Starks et al. 2004). As with fanning, the colony benefits most when the behaviour is performed by multiple individuals.
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