Honeybee colonies maintain a hive temperature of approximately 35 degrees Celsius regardless of external conditions. In summer, worker bees gather water and fan it with their wings to cool the hive through evaporation. In winter, they cluster tightly together and shiver their flight muscles to generate heat, rotating bees between the cold outer layer and warm interior of the cluster.
Based on the passage, which inference is most strongly supported?
- A
Worker bees do not survive the winter months
- B
Honeybees rely entirely on external conditions to regulate hive temperature
- C
Honeybees abandon their hives during temperature extremes
- Dcheck_circle
Maintaining stable hive temperature is a coordinated colony-wide behavior
Explanation
Coordinated cooling and warming behaviors support B. A contradicts the active regulation; C and D are unsupported.