M-STEP Practice Test 7

Student draft: How Honeybees Cool Their Hive

(1) Honeybees cannot sweat, but they can still keep their hive at a steady temperature on hot summer days. (2) The brood, or young bees developing inside the wax cells, must stay at about 94 degrees Fahrenheit to grow properly. (3) When the hive gets too warm, some worker bees fly out to collect water instead of nectar. (4) Back inside, they spread tiny droplets of water across the tops of the wax cells. (5) Other workers line up at the entrance and fan their wings rapidly. (6) The moving air makes the water evaporate, and evaporation carries heat away from the brood. (7) Bees are some of the most interesting insects in the world. (8) On extremely hot days, many bees even leave the hive and cluster on its outside wall, which makes more room for air to flow inside. (9) In this way, a hive full of insects works like a living air conditioner.