WEBVTT - Why Do Bees Beard?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bamb here. Did you know that

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<v Speaker 1>one bee has to fly approximately nine miles that's a

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<v Speaker 1>kilometers or about three times around the earth and gather

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<v Speaker 1>nectar from some two million flowers to make a mere

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<v Speaker 1>pound or half a kilo of honey. That's a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of work for just one little APIs malafera. So it's

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<v Speaker 1>a good thing that honeybees are well organized, task oriented

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<v Speaker 1>insects who stick together in huge families of several thousand

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<v Speaker 1>workers per hive. And did you know that the honeybee

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<v Speaker 1>is the only insect that produces food eaten by humans

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<v Speaker 1>and that honey never expires. Archaeologists have found pots of

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<v Speaker 1>still edible honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are thousands

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<v Speaker 1>of years old. That's because honey is hygroscopic. It's great

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<v Speaker 1>at absorbing moisture, so it'll basically desiccate any bacteria or

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<v Speaker 1>mold that try to eat it. And it's a set

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<v Speaker 1>with a pH somewhere between three point five and four

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<v Speaker 1>point oh. It's about as acidic as orange juice. A

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<v Speaker 1>groundbreaking study led by biologists at the University of California,

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<v Speaker 1>San Diego consolidates scientific data from around the globe to

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<v Speaker 1>show that the honeybee is the most successful pollinator in

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<v Speaker 1>the world, the most important single species of pollinator in

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<v Speaker 1>natural ecosystems, and the single most frequent pollinator of naturally

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<v Speaker 1>occurring flowers and non crop plants on Earth. That's a

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<v Speaker 1>pretty big, vital deal for the planet and no small feet.

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<v Speaker 1>For creatures with a brain the size of a sesame seed,

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<v Speaker 1>they're amazing. B two B communication skills allow them to pipe,

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<v Speaker 1>that is, buzz, waggle or advance, and beard in order

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<v Speaker 1>to protect themselves and their life's mission making honey But

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<v Speaker 1>let's go back to that last one. What the heck

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<v Speaker 1>is bearding and why do honeybees do it? It's all

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<v Speaker 1>about keeping cool. Honey Bees are able to regulate the

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<v Speaker 1>temperature of their hive throughout year. In winter months, they

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<v Speaker 1>raise the hives temperature by huddling together and vibrating their

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<v Speaker 1>wings to generate body heat and keep warm. It's sort

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<v Speaker 1>of like if you were too jog in place or

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<v Speaker 1>rub your arms to warm up. But in the summer months,

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<v Speaker 1>the average temperature of the hive should be between ninety

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<v Speaker 1>and nine degrees fahrenheit that's thirty two thirty five celsius.

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<v Speaker 1>If it gets too hot, the bees will fan their

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<v Speaker 1>wings to lower the temperature and circulate air throughout the hive.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes they collect and place droplets of water inside the

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<v Speaker 1>hive and then queue up at the hives entrance and

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<v Speaker 1>fan their wings, creating air currents that evaporate the water

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<v Speaker 1>and push cool air inside. And while the fanners are

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<v Speaker 1>outside fanning, there are bees on the inside fanning as well.

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<v Speaker 1>In summer severely hot weather, when the temperatures rise to

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<v Speaker 1>extremes and the hives population is large and crowded due

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<v Speaker 1>to an abundance of nectar flow, the bees head and

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<v Speaker 1>mass out of the nest and cluster outside the hive

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<v Speaker 1>to try to remain cool and keep the hive from overheating,

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<v Speaker 1>which could kill the next generation of bees that are

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<v Speaker 1>growing or hatching. Busy bee activity inside the hive generates

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of heat, so they leave the hive and

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<v Speaker 1>cling to the outside. Then create even more airflow than

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<v Speaker 1>regular fanning by huddling together and beating their wings. This

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<v Speaker 1>activity is called bearding because the formation that the bees

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<v Speaker 1>make on the outside of the hive is shaped sort

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<v Speaker 1>of like a beard. It's a natural, normal behavior and

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<v Speaker 1>should not be confused with swarming, which occurs when the

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<v Speaker 1>bees all get together and decided to leave the hive

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<v Speaker 1>for greener pastures. So if you see a bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>bees in beard formation hanging outside their hive, have no fear.

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<v Speaker 1>Think of them as amazing Apien generators. Society of worrying

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<v Speaker 1>little porch fans buzzing up a breeze to try and

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<v Speaker 1>beat the heat inside. Today's episode was written by Carrie

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<v Speaker 1>Tato and produced by Tyler Claying. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of i Heeart Radios how Stuff Works. For more in

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<v Speaker 1>this and lots of other buzzworthy topics, visit our home

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