–Engineering Bees: Building an Air Conditioner for the Hive
For centuries, bees have benefited people, plants, and the planet. Their importance for pollination ensures food production. Their contribution to the environment, helps biodiversity and ecosystems.
Maximum comfort even in the hive
Did you know that bees have their own air conditioning system? They work every day to keep the hive, their home, at the right temperature. We understand their way of working as a company with a different system to that of people. These little insects follow a different method. They have no superior to evaluate their abilities and each individual acts on his own without being aware of the overall situation.
Despite this, the bees as a whole know how to act in order to adapt and cope with adversities, such as different weather temperatures. Water becomes a fundamental element, being a basic need for the bees, and in this case, it has two essential functions.
Firstly, food. The well-known bee bread that these insects provide for their young is composed of honey and pollen, but it also contains a high percentage of water. Their other basic function is to cool the hive during the hot summer months. They must keep the temperature inside the hive at around 35ºC, so that the wax combs do not deteriorate.
On days when the hives heat up to higher temperatures, some of the specialised bees are responsible for supplying water to cool the colony. These specialised bees fill their stomachs with water, fly back home and when they arrive, expel the liquid they have been storing. Others are responsible for sipping and spitting out the water around the hive, so that it can cool down while the water evaporates. A hive may need approximately two to four litres of water per day.
One aspect to bear in mind is that maintaining the temperature inside the hive is necessary both to avoid overheating and to prevent low temperatures. If it is too cold inside the hive, the activity of the adult bees will be affected (they will be paralysed if the temperature drops below 8ºC). However, it is the brood that will be most impacted, which may suffer from slower growth or even disease.
Thus, as in any thermoregulation system, different mechanisms are necessary to achieve temperature stability, both in heating and cooling.
Bees are able to create their own air conditioning system when temperature changes threaten to, for example, melt the wax in the hive. They work to keep your home comfortable, just as Hitachi Cooling & Heating works to keep yours as comfortable as possible.
Our air conditioners offer you maximum comfort through clean and healthy air. The efficiency and technology of the different systems allow you to regulate the temperature in a personalised way, so that you can enjoy the desired climate in your home.
by Hitachi Cooling & Heating