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Honey Bees Case Study

Decent Essays

My thoughts on this article of honeybee and building construction and how we humans use their ideas in daily living when it comes to building is astonishing to me. Even at the beginning of the article that a single honey comb can hold up to 4 pounds of honey! A surprising number considering the weight ratio of a single comb to the honey itself a good example of this weight ratio that the article used is the Space shuttle uses honey comb shaped winged designs. Yet it’s strong and lightweight like a Bee’s honey comb. Inside temperatures and inside hive temperatures are extremely similar. Although we humans rely on HVAC systems for our own comfort honey bees do the same with great precision. “From late winter to early autumn, the annual period of brood rearing by honey bee colonies, the temperature in the broodnest region of each colony’s hive is precisely regulated between 33ºC and 36ºC, averaging 34.5ºC and varying less than 1ºC across the day. This impressive temperature stability is accomplished through a set of mechanisms whereby colonies either heat or cool the broodnest, depending on the ambient temperature… (Seeley 1995, pg. 212)”. …show more content…

First they retain heat over the long term by selecting a good nest site. Second they can all cluster together to reduce the volume of air needing thermal management. As ambient temperatures begin to fall to 14ºF Bees will begin to eat their own honey, and exercise their wing muscles to keep warm as they wait for the summer. Human’s relation with winter months and how we keep heating is yet again similar. We build buffer zones, such as foyers and mud rooms, to help reduce cold temperatures. Some HVAC systems are designed to allow for zoning and partial or shutdown of supply to tempered

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