Temperature Regulation in the Bumblebee Bombus vagans: A Field Study

Bombus vagans forages for nectar at 5 degrees C in shade and at 31 degrees C in sunshine. The production of heat while the bumblebee is on flowers, at ambient temperatures below 24 degrees C, helps to maintain a thoracic temperature that is near the minimum for flight between flowers. However, at ambient temperatures above 24 degrees C the thoracic temperature is no longer regulated at 32 degrees to 33 degrees C and rises.