>Dick, please show us these "accounts you've read", for the benifit of the Bee-L readers, please support your comment with references. >I know where my refrences are, but I won't do your homework for you. “Lindauer (1954) placed a hive of bees in full sunlight on a lava field near Salerno, Italy, where the *surface* (my italics) temperature reached 70º C. As long as he permitted workers to take all the water they wanted from a nearby fountain, they were able to maintain the temperature inside the hive at the desired 35º C.” The above is from E.O. Wilson’s book: ‘The Insect Societies’. The reference quoted by Wilson in his bibliography is a German paper by Lindauer: ‘Temperaturregulierung und Wasserhaushalt im Bienenstat’. (FYI, my brother and I re-shingled my roof about 5 years ago. The surface of the roof was considerably, and I mean *considerably*, hotter than the area an inch or two above the tar paper.) Regards, Dick Allen -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---