To determine how bees organize to cool their nests, researchers measured temperature, air flow into and out of the nest, and the position and density of bees fanning at the nest entrance. (Image courtesy of Jacob Peters/Harvard SEAS)

In modeling the system, the researchers found that all these behaviors linked to the environmental physics of the nest. Fanning outward allows the bees to sense the upstream nest temperature; different thresholds of temperature allows for more continuous ventilation and more stable hive temperatures; and, because of the physics of friction and flow, clustering to separate inflow from outflow allows more cool air to enter the nest because of the physics of friction and flow.

“Our study demonstrates how harnessing the dynamics of the physical environment allows for large-scale organization of a physiological process,” said Peleg, who co-authored the paper and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“Although this is a physics-focused story, biological variation with roots in genetics and evolution likely plays a big role in order for this system to work,” said Peters. “Our theory suggests that not only does individual variability in temperature threshold lead to a more stable hive temperature but also this diversity is critical to the stability of the patterning of fanning behavior which is required for efficient ventilation.”