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Tue, 10 Nov 2015 08:20:38 -0600 |
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Applying physics to understanding overwintering is useful, but may be
limited in understanding the whole picture. Obviously, a bee cluster
cannot escape the realities of heat loss through radiation, conduction
and convection. At the same time, the cluster is a living, breathing
entity with variable responses through the day and through a witner
season depending on external conditions and dynamics within the bee
cluster. During winter, clusters have sharp gradients of
temperatures, where the interior bees can be at "body temperature" and
exterior bees fairly close to chill comma. Some of the insulative
properties of thick-walled cavities may be beneficial at the moderate
low temperatures of mild winters or in areas that get cold at night
during the growing season. At extremely low temperatures (and with
wind) insulation per se (to deal with conductive heat loss) may not be
as important as preventing convective heat loss.
The winters of most of Europe and of overwintering areas for most of
the beekeeping in the US require some attention to the realities of
thermodynamics, but pale in comparison to those of some areas of the
upper Midwest and Canada.
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