> PLB< However, the way I see it is: it is not necessary for a muscle to "do anything" visible>
> Google Heater Bees in Brood Nest

I was referring to activity visible to the naked eye, not infrared radiation. Here they explain what I meant:

> It is clear that MR [metabolic rate] and visible activity can be independent. A high MR can be achieved by rapid vibration of the thoracic muscles which is not visible externally. At cold air temperatures (10 °C)  a high rate of thermoregulatory heat production was independent of visible activity, and conversely, at high air temperatures (40  °C) MR was low despite increased locomotor activity.

Colonial Thermoregulation in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) by Fredi Kronenberg and H. Craig Heller
Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA 

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