Honey bees use which of the following strategies for cooling their hives?

Honey bees employ the strategy of fanning their wings to cool their hives. When the temperature inside the hive rises, worker bees gather at the entrance and begin to beat their wings rapidly. This action generates airflow through the hive, which helps to dissipate heat and lower the internal temperature.

Fanning is particularly important during hot weather, as maintaining an optimal hive temperature is crucial for the health of the colony and for the development of bee larvae. The bees can also combine this wing fanning with the evaporation of water, which they can bring into the hive, to enhance the cooling effect.

While options like absorbing moisture and structural reinforcement relate to bees managing humidity levels and structural integrity in their environment, they do not specifically address the cooling mechanism used by bees. Reducing hive size could theoretically help in some scenarios, but it is not a primary cooling strategy and is not commonly practiced by bees. Thus, the fanning of wings remains the primary means by which bees actively cool their hive.