> It appears that its so hot that virtually every bee is pressed into
> service fanning. Seems like they gather enough water/syrup in
> morning to meet the evaporation needs, so even the water gatherers
> are staying in the hive.
How well do individual bees withstand hot the temperatures you mention?
Seems to me that there must be a combination of temperature, solar radiation
and humidity that defines an upper limit to proper functioning -- and
survival -- of any invidual bee outside the hive. Also seems to me that
bees must have some way to know when it is too hot to go out. Maybe the
bees simply cannot leave the hive without undue risk.
allen
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/
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