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Date: | Thu, 21 Dec 2023 09:57:07 -0500 |
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Tests on tropical feral honeybees in America that have never experienced cold conditions reveal that they use the same modes of thermoregulation as northern races (Southwick et al. 1990). On exposure to temperatures near freezing, they form clusters quite capable of withstanding extended periods of cold. They do differ, however, in their efficiency of solving the global problem of keeping warm and expend more energy at cool temperatures than temperate colonies (A.m. carnica) (Fig. 5.7). The difference between tropical and temperate colonies is not so much in the approach and mechanisms of facing the thermal challenge, but is in degree instead.
In the process of natural colony activity, dead bees, frass (faeces), wax and other litter are subsequently scattered over the surrounding forest floor by the bees. Using the figure of 100 dead workers of A. mellifera being disposed of each day (Gary 1960; Biihlmann 1985) along with those that die in the field while foraging, a complete turnover of worker populations of tropical honeybees occur each 40-50 days (Roubik 1989). Therefore, during the year about seven times the adult population is scattered about the area of each nest site.— Bees as Superorganisms: An Evolutionary Reality
PLB
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