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Why do honeybees bring water into the hive?
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Beekeeping
Bees on a honeycomb.
Honeybees collect water for two primary purposes within the hive:
- Air-conditioning: Bees use water to regulate the temperature of the colony. By utilizing water to cool the cluster, the colony can survive external temperatures as high as 120 °F (49 °C), helping them maintain a consistent temperature of approximately 93 °F (34 °C) in the broodnest.12
- Diluting food: Bees collect water to dilute honey when they consume it as their primary carbohydrate source.12
These activities are essential to the maintenance of the colony, which functions as a highly complex, singular organism.12