Stay cool: Exploring social influence of thermoregulatory behavior in honey bees

Thermoregulation is critical for the survival of a honey bee colony. Honey bees perform a fanning behavior, where they stand still at the opening of the hive and fan their wings, to keep the temperature in the colony from exceeding 35°C. Honey bees use thermal response thresholds to know when to fan, although these response thresholds seem to be optimized when other individuals are present. Here, I present which cues honey bees receive from each other, that, when coupled with increasing temperature, allows them to perform a coordinated fanning response. This research provides insight into how group behavior can be coordinated in a social insect colony, and furthers our understanding of division of labor.