A new device for continuous temperature measurement in brood cells of honeybees (Apis mellifera)

Abstract - Nest temperature in honeybees is a crucial factor for brood development since it influences the task specialization of adult workers. Accurate and reliable data on temperature distributions are hence of major interest to understand colony function. We present a new device for temperature measurements in brood cells of honeybee combs. The instrument allows for a continuous temperature recording at the bottom of 768 brood cells. In contrast to previous techniques, we can record the complete temperature history of individual developing larvae under natural conditions in the hive. The device consists of a dense grid of thermistors connected to a computer for the recording and display of the temperature data. Software is provided to graphically display the temperature profile across the comb in false colors.