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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Jerry Bromenshenk <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 12:24:06 -0400
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We discovered and published this years ago.  I've also reported to Bee-L.  When a queen stops laying or she is lost or dies, the colony maintains rigorous thermoregulation until most or all of the eggs have hatched.  Then, the colony eases up on the temperature control.  The colony temperatures start to oscillate.  When there are few or no more larvae, the colony more or less stops thermoregulating, and the colony temperatures follow outside, ambient temperature fluctuations, unless it becomes very hot or cold outside.
 
When a new queen is introduced, the colony re-starts thermoregulation, back to the rigorous control of temperatures in the brood nest - usually within a few hours  of replacing the queen, normally less than 24.
 
And, as I've said many times, when a colony  swarms, the inside colony temperatures spike to near lethal (for bees) temperatures for a short period.  I don't know whether they stop thermoregulating or whether their efforts are disrupted by the overall chaos in the hive.  I have wondered whether swarming and the temperature spike might play a role in varroa mite suppression.
 
 

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