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About this plot:
The minimum temperature for honey bee flight is around 12 C, or 55 F. Below that the ambient temperature is not high enough to keep the bee's thorax warm enough to fly and they will stay in the hive
The upper limit for bee flight is near 40 C, or 104 F. They can make short flights from 40 - 46 C, or 104 - 115 F, but these are limited and can potentially dessicate the bee while in flight.
The optimal foraging temperature is 16 - 32 C, or 60 - 90 F, which coincides with the optimal temperature range for flowers to produce nectar.
Once the outside temperature drops to 50 - 57 F the bees will remain in the hive, but are still active. As the outside temperatures drop below 45 F they will begin to form a loose cluster in the hive. Honey bees have the unique ability to disengage their flight muscles from their wings and vibrate their wing muscles to generate heat. This of course requires energy, obtained from honey reserves. As the outside temperatures go below 35-40 F they will form a tight cluster. On a cold day the temperature of the cluster can range from 46 F at the exterior to 80 - 85 F in the center where the queen and any brood are.
Studies have shown that clustered colonies can survive temperature down to -80 C for 12 hours.
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