>Also, Im wondering if because they typically do this head down in a cell, is it the wings simply can't be deployed for flight. Is there some "disconnect" mechanism? Can they do this outside of the cell? 

There's a lot of science about how bees use their indirect muscles to fly, heat, and signal and it's all fascinating.  The muscles are referred to as stretch-activated or asynchronous. Meaning they can react to neurological signals differently than our muscles. One signal starts them moving and they work against each other (horizontal and vertical pairs ) in an antagonistic way that keeps them moving until another brain signal comes along. That explains why a bee's wings can move faster than would otherwise be possible if one signal created one movement.  Bees typically pre-heat their flight muscles before flying in the same way they use them to heat during thermoregulation.  Bee's can send a slightly different neurological pattern to their flight muscles when they want to use them to heat.  The heater signals put the muscles in " tetanus"  locking them in place but consuming energy and making heat without moving the thorax - the restraint of the cell is not a factor.  They can switch them to flight mode with a slight change in the neurological patterns which releases the locked mode and allows the thorax to vibrate and the wings to move freely.  At times, one can observe the pre-flight heating on the landing board before takeoff or when a forager is leaving a flower.  Bee's use their indirect muscles for heat, flight and vibrational dances on the comb, all of which are active states and deliberately under the bee's control.

I have references on request.  


Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT    

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