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10-Minute Presentation

Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology

10-min: PBT, Thermal Physiology

Thermoregulatory failure during heat stress of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

Wednesday, November 13, 2024
10:54 AM – 11:06 AM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 224 B, PCC
Oral Presentation
Heat waves associated with climatic warming are feared to be major threats to insects, but we lack data to evaluate this threat, especially for social insects such as honey bees, Apis mellifera. We assessed the capacity of honey bees in normal 1-2 box Langstroth hives to thermoregulate their nest in response to experimental exposure to low-humidity air temperatures of about 50°C (122°F), currently occurring during summer in multiple global locations. Hives kept outside were fitted with a respiratory mask that permitted measurements of gas exchange while colonies could forage normally, with nearby water sources. Hives were then heated by being covered, except for the entrance, by a small plastic-sheeted greenhouse with supplemental electrical heat, raising air temperatures surrounding the hive by 10-15°C above environmental air temperatures. In response to heat stress, colonies suppressed metabolic heat production, increased water loss, increased fanning and suppressed pollen foraging. Larger colonies were better at thermoregulating, but temperatures of the brood in most colonies rose above temperatures that are lethal if sustained (38°C). Workers in some colonies left the nest, “bearding” on the front, causing brood temperatures to rise above 40°C. Our results suggest that the prolonged heat waves predicted with climate change have the potential to strongly disrupt and possibly even kill honey bee colonies. Supported by USDA 2022-67013-36285.