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Date: | Fri, 1 Dec 2023 11:38:26 -0500 |
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> I think that it would be more accurate to say "working to maintain a narrow range of temperature and humidity inside the *cluster*."
The bees in a winter cluster may also be balancing their moisture requirements, and part of thermoregulation is an emergent property of biological needs. Bees in the core are basking in the warmth generated by a few heater bees, and since their metabolic rate is minimized, they are relatively dry. In contrast, bees on the outer mantle are more metabolically active since they are near ambient temperatures and must avoid a chill coma. As a result, bees on the mantle gain moisture and need to evaporate the excess and dry bees in the core need metibolioc mosture so, the theory is, they may migrate between the mantle and the core to balance individual needs and part thermoregulation happens as a result.
My point is that cluster biology is multifaceted, and modeling thermodynamics at the Ph.D. level is impressive and interesting but may only be one data point. I still think the environment and biology don't play well with models. It makes sense to me to move a colony into a hive configuration that allows the bees to regulate the hive gases without beekeeper intervention.
https://scientificbeekeeping.com/scibeeimages/Mobus-1998-winter-cluster-part-2.pdf
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