College of Arts & Sciences

Margaret McCurdy

College of Engineering Environmental Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dane Ward Biodiversity, Earth, & Environmental Science

Meghan Barrett Co-Mentor

Limited thermoregulatory mechanisms in foraging Melipona beecheii bees

Increasing global temperatures may threaten the survival of species in thermally challenging environments or those with poor thermoregulatory capabilities. Particularly, tropical species like the stingless bee Melipona beecheii, may be forced to operate near their upper thermal limits. Elucidating the critical thermal maxima and thermoregulatory abilities of this species is important to understanding how the Cuban meliponiculture system may be impacted by climate change. To measure the CT max of M. beecheii, we evaluated worker bees at two different urban locations in Cienfuegos, Cuba using a USA Scientific Digital Dry Bath and ramping the temperature 1°C every five minutes. The CT max was determined to be the point at which bees ceased visibly respiring. The in-flight temperature of the bees’ heads, thoraxes, and abdomens were also measured using a thermocouple. M. beecheii workers cannot thermoregulate utilizing conductive heat transfer to the head or abdomen. However, the average thorax temperatures during flight (33.3°C at an average Ta of 30.6°C) are substantially lower than the average CT max of 46.2°C. This suggests that M. beecheii foragers may have a thermal safety margin in the event of increasing environmental temperatures.