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Cartoon illustration of a bee waving a fan.

Cartoon illustration of a bee waving a fan.
© Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

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These bees are busy fanning and communicating with each other on the hive landing board. Worker bees fan their wings to maintain a proper temperature for the interior of the hive. Cartoon illustration of a bee waving a fan.

Fanning

At some point, as a means of transforming nectar (which is 70 percent water) into honey (which is 17 percent water), worker bees fan their wings at top speed. As the air circulates, the moisture evaporates.

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