We can experience some sweltering days in our Southern Hemisphere summer and with a colony of tens of thousands of bees inside a hive, you’d expect things to get pretty hot! But we don’t see honey dripping out of the hives or bees with heatstroke. This is because bees have some very clever ways of keeping themselves cool.

Firstly, the location of the hive is important which is why we place our hives within the dense Jarrah Forests just outside Perth at this time of year. There are plenty of flowering Jarrah trees providing food and shelter from the harsh West Australian sun.

Secondly, when it’s really hot, bees can develop their own air conditioning system inside the hive. Bees need a lot of water to dilute the honey and to maintain optimal humidity. During hot weather, the colony prioritises collecting water over nectar. Small droplets of water are placed on the honeycomb surface, after which the bees fan their wings causing the
water to evaporate which cools down the hive.

Finally, another trick bees employ to cool down involves the bees leaving the hive. Any bee not tasked with caring for the queen or ‘air conditioning’ duties leaves and hangs outside the hive to make it less crowded. This eventually helps with cooling the hive. Bees are truly remarkable!

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