Thermoregulation in stingless bees

This study investigates thermal regulation in the stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith) under managed conditions in semi-arid India. We continuously monitored nest temperature and relative humidity using sensor-based systems and examined the thermal environment maintained within colonies under naturally varying ambient conditions. The study addresses an important gap in the thermal biology of stingless bees, for which continuous nest microclimate observations and experimental evidence concerning factors influencing thermal regulation remain limited. Rather than treating nest temperature as a purely descriptive variable, our study examines the relationship between environmental conditions and the colony's nest microclimate.本研究以印度半干旱地区人工管理条件下的无刺蜂（stingless bee）*Tetragonula iridipennis* (Smith)为研究对象，探究其热调节机制。研究采用基于传感器的监测系统，对巢内温度与相对湿度进行连续监测，并分析了自然环境波动下蜂群所维持的巢内热环境。 当前无刺蜂热生物学领域存在重要研究空白：连续巢内微气候观测数据以及影响热调节的相关实验证据仍较为匮乏。本研究并未将巢温仅视作纯描述性变量，而是聚焦于环境条件与蜂群巢内微气候之间的关联关系。