Bees bearding outside the colony and bees fanning their wings close to the hive entrance to create at the entrance an inward and an outward stream of air.
Hive ventilation is critical to timely ripening of nectar into honey and for wintering of colonies. Bees control ventilation to maintain proper humidity and temperature for nectar ripening. Bees can cool their hive on the hottest summer days. They arrange droplets of water in an area with an incoming stream of air into and out of the colony so that the air passes over water droplets, thereby creating evaporative cooling.
On hotter days and evenings, adult workers can be seen bearding on the outside of the hive above the entrance or under the bottom board. If external temperatures cool, the bees return to the hive before daybreak.
Carbon dioxide levels can be similarly controlled via air movement.
Mann Lake Ltd. n.d. Tips For Giving Your Beehives Enough Ventilation This Summer. Mann Lake Ltd. Accessed 2023. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/mann-lake-blog/tips-for-giving-your-beehives-enough-ventilation-this-summer/
Burlew R. 2023 update. You need to increase summer ventilation for good honey yields. Honey Bee Suite. Accessed 2023. https://www.honeybeesuite.com/summer-ventilation-increases-honey-yield/
Burlew R. 2022. What history tells us about hive design and ventilation. Honey Bee Suite. Accessed 2023. https://www.honeybeesuite.com/what-history-tells-us-about-hive-ventilation/
Cushman D. 2022 update. Ventilation of Beehives. David A. Cushman. Accessed 2023. http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/ventilation.html
Peters JM, Peleg O and Mahadevan L. 2019. Collective ventilation in honeybee nests. Journal of the Royal Society 16(150). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2018.0561
