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Surface Temperature and Heat Transfer between Body Regions of Africanized Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in Hives under Sun and Shade Conditions in the Northeastern Semi-arid Region of Brazil



Author(s)

Herica Girlane Tertulino Domingos¹, Daiana da Silva Sombra¹, Ricardo Gonçalves Santos¹, Kátia Peres Gramacho² and Lionel Segui Gonçalves³

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DOI:10.17265/2161-6256/2018.01.004

1. Department of Animal Science, The Federal Rural University of the Semi-arid Region, Mossoró 59614-290, RN, Brazil
2. Department of Zootechny, The Federal Rural University of the Semi-arid Region, Mossoró 59614-290, RN, Brazil
3. Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-080, São Paulo, Brazil

This work was done at the experimental station of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-arid Region (UFERSA) in Mossoró, Brazil. This work aimed to evaluate the surface temperature of the bees and heat transfer between body regions of Africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in hives under sun and shade conditions in the northeastern semi-arid region of Brazil. Twelve colonies of Africanized honeybees housed in Langstroth hives were used. The body surface temperature of the bees was measured using a mini infrared thermometer (Fluke model 62). The climatological data were obtained through a meteorological station. The comparison of means was performed by the Tukey-Kramer test (p < 0.01), and data analysis using the Statistical Analysis System software. The body temperatures of the bees are not homogeneous and fluctuate throughout the day, in accordance with the environmental variations. The temperature of the thorax is generally higher, followed by the head and abdomen. The head and the abdomen are parts of the body for which the excess temperature of the thorax is transferred, with the head being the main one. The bees that were in the shade, managed to keep their body temperatures at relatively normal levels, while the bees that were in the sun, had a considered increase of its surface body temperatures higher than 2 °C, being necessary the activation of mechanisms of heat loss, and consequently there is a deviation of energy that could be used for other activities within the colony.

Surface temperature, shading, thermal comfort, Apis mellifera.