RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT ON THE ANALYSIS OF RESPONSE OF BEEES TO THE SHARP COOLING OF THE NEST.

 The results of our observations, which form the basis of the operation of the Apivox Smart Monitor device, show that there are three types of nest heating by bees:

1. Passive heating due to the heat generated by the body of the bee in the course of normal life

2. Active heating of the nest by generating heat using high-frequency tremor of wings and thorax

3. Emergency heating of the nest due to the generation of a large amount of heat thanks to the active low-frequency flapping of half-opened wings of the bees.

The second and third methods of heating the nest create certain sounds that the Apivox Smart Monitor picks up, which is reflected in its diagnostics or in the diagram. We decided to once again confirm our data and look at the reaction of bee colonies of different strengths to a sharp cooling of the nest. To do this, we used the moment of transition of the experimental apiary to preparation for cold wintering. The task of this process is to stop the laying of eggs by the queen due to the deterioration of the temperature conditions for this in the hive.

To cool the nests and to switch bee families to cold wintering, the hives were opened for about 30-40 minutes in the evening cold of the end of summer (+14-16C). To do this, roofs and insulation were removed and open beehives were left. The photo shows gratings that do not allow the bees to fly out of the hive, but do not interfere with the passage of air and sounds. All the bees immediately went inside the "streets" betwee frames.

    After that, acoustic control of all families was carried out.

Family E3 - offshoot with a large number of bees and a small amount of remaining brood. After opening the hive, we see the appearance of an excitation signal (1) and a small peak in the area of ​​emergency heating signals (2). Active heating of moderate strength, not much more than usual (3) . After 10 minutes, the heating weakens somewhat, the bees calm down. The family can warm itself due to the large number of bees, so the reaction is quite calm.

The E4 colony is a very strong colony with 6-7 sealed brood frames. There is not much young brood, but it is. We see that the family needed to start emergency heating (4) despite the large number of bees. In addition, at the very beginning, the bees actively began heating and caring for open brood (5).

The E6 family is a weak layer on 6 frames, separated by heaters on the sides. There are not many bees. There is practically no brood. The reaction to cooling is very violent. There is a very strong emergency heating signal (9), which subsides after ten minutes and there is a strong active heating signal (10), such as we can often see in winter.

Thus, the results of the experiment once again confirmed the presence of the reaction of bees to a sharp cooling of the nest, which is a sequence of the following actions: at the beginning, an emergency heating of the nest appears, then turning into a less energy-intensive mode of active heating. At the same time, the strength and time of the appearance of these works and the signals corresponding to them depend on the state and strength of the colony, the size of the hive, and the presence of both types of brood.

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