#  How Honey Bees Keep the Hive Cool on Hot Days 

 





February 05, 2019

 

 

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 **Prof. L. Mahadevan** and Postdoc, Jacob Peters (PhD '18, Mahadevan Lab) have developed a framework that explains how bees use environmental signals to collectively cluster and continuously ventilate the hive. The study published in *[Journal of the Royal Society Interface](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2018.0561)* looked at European honey bees (*Apis mellifera*), which live in large congested nest cavities with a single opening that limits passive ventilation. When the temperature is too elevated, the bees self-organize to form groups that station at the nest entrance and actively ventilate the nest by fanning their wings. Media: *[SEAS News](https://www.seas.harvard.edu/content/how-bees-stay-cool-on-hot-summer-days)*

#####  **Image: Bee Sensor courtesy of Jacob Peters**



 

 

 



 

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