Final answer:
Social bees and wasps use collective tasks such as wing fanning, heat generation through huddling, and water evaporation techniques performed by worker bees to maintain stable temperatures within their hives. The drones and queen bees focus on reproduction, which provides energy efficiency in supporting hive maintenance and offspring care.
Step-by-step explanation:
Social bees and wasps maintain exquisitely stable hive temperatures through the collective efforts of their colony members. Each insect has a specialized job that contributes to this stability. The workers are responsible for various tasks, including adjusting the hive's temperature. Some worker bees might fan their wings to circulate air and cool the hive, while others might huddle together to increase the temperature. Some bees even collect water and spread it within the hive to evaporate and cause cooling. Additionally, the wax structures of the hives themselves provide insulation and help regulate temperature extremes.
Drones, being male bees, do not contribute to these tasks, as their main role in the colony is reproduction. The queen bee, on the other hand, is the sole egg-laying individual, responsible for the continuation of the colony's lineage. This highly organized system ensures that energy taken in by the bees is used optimally for the growth, maintenance of the hive, and protection and nurturing of the offspring.