Unraveling the Misconception: Honeybee Clustering as Distress Behavior, Not Evolutionary Insulation

For over a century, the beekeeping world has operated under the assumption that honeybee clustering during cold temperatures is an adaptive mechanism, providing evolutionary insulation. However, groundbreaking research challenges this long-standing belief, suggesting that clustering is, in fact, a distress behavior. This revelation, with profound implications for hive design and beekeeping practices, unveils a new perspective on the well-being of honeybee colonies.

Misguided Beliefs in Beekeeping: The Evolutionary Insulation Myth

Since 1914, the idea that the outer layers of a honeybee cluster act as insulation for the inner core has shaped beekeeping practices. This belief influenced hive design and led to practices like keeping honeybees in thin-walled hives in extreme cold climates. Recent trends, such as refrigerating bee colonies in summer for parasite treatment, also stem from this belief. However, the research challenges the notion that clustering is a protective measure and suggests that inducing clustering may be detrimental to honeybee welfare.

Cluster Mantles: A Desperate Struggle for Warmth

Contrary to the perception of clustering as a cozy arrangement for cold days, the study reveals that cluster mantles function more like a heatsink, decreasing insulation. The bees forming the mantle engage in a desperate struggle to stay close to the warmth generated by the inner core. As temperatures drop, the bees in the mantle go into hypothermic shutdown, compressing to maintain a temperature above 10°C. This compression decreases insulation and increases thermal conductivity, akin to a crowded struggle for survival.

Rethinking Hive Design and Beekeeping Practices

The research underscores the need to reassess hive designs and beekeeping practices that induce clustering. The traditional understanding of clustering as a natural response to cold overlooks the distress and potential harm inflicted on the bees. Rather than viewing the hive as a mere structure, the study emphasizes recognizing it as the extended phenotype of the honeybee. Ethical considerations for insect well-being become paramount, especially as evidence suggests that insects, including honeybees, may experience pain.

Urgent Call for Change: Reducing the Frequency and Duration of Clustering

In light of the growing awareness of insect sentience, there is an ethical imperative to revise beekeeping practices. The urgency to minimize the frequency and duration of clustering becomes evident, aligning beekeeping with a more compassionate and informed approach. As Cop28 approaches, this research challenges the status quo in beekeeping, paving the way for a paradigm shift towards more humane and scientifically informed practices.

#BeekeepingEthics, #HoneybeeWelfare, #HiveDesign, #DistressBehavior, #InsectSentience

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