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PolskiInside the Winter Cluster (2D)
A flat cutaway hive lab running the same thermal and honey-consumption model as the 3D version: set outside temperature, colony size, varroa load and frame isolation, then watch a honeybee winter cluster contract, migrate across honey frames, or die of cold or isolation starvation.
This 2D companion runs the exact same thermal and honey-consumption model as the 3D cutaway hive, rendered as a flat top-down panel of seven honey frames instead of an orbiting 3D scene: each frame tints from dark (empty) to gold (full) as the colony draws it down, the cluster itself is drawn as a contracting warm-cored blob that creeps sideways once its current frame thins out, and a side panel exposes every control — outside temperature, colony size, varroa load, sim speed and a force-isolation toggle — next to a live readout of core temperature, population, reachable honey and colony status. Because it's the same equations driving both versions, the outcomes match: a strong colony in mild cold survives comfortably, while a small varroa-weakened cluster locked onto a thinning frame collapses to isolation starvation with honey still sitting untouched one frame away.
2D winter-cluster survival lab: outside temperature, colony size, varroa load and frame isolation drive a thermal-balance and honey-drawdown model that determines core cluster temperature, honey burn rate, and whether the cluster migrates onto fresh stores before local honey runs out.
2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install
If it's too cold to break cluster — or you check "Force isolation" — the bees cannot cross to a neighbouring frame even if it's full. The cluster empties its current frame and starves while food sits one comb-width away. This is a real, well-documented cause of winter colony loss called isolation starvation.
Core temperature relaxes toward a target set by outside temperature, insulation (a function of colony size and varroa load) and whether the cluster currently has fuel on hand. A weak or varroa-laden cluster can't hold heat even with honey available — it's a slow collapse rather than a sudden freeze.
Nothing about the physics changes — both versions run identical formulas for insulation, honey drawdown, migration and mortality. This 2D view trades the rotatable 3D cutaway for a flat panel that's easier to read at a glance, with the same controls and live stats.