Bees do not hibernate in the winter. Instead, they use a combination of tactics to get them through the cold winter months, including…
- The storage of food resources
- The winter cluster
- Winter bees
The most important element is the storage of food resources, in the form of capped honey, within the hive. The colony will consume these resources through the winter and it is essential that they have sufficient honey to last until warmer weather allows them to restart their foraging activities in the spring. The amount of honey needed depends heavily on the duration of winter and the temperatures maintained through these months. Therefore, colonies in the southern states of the US are likely to require far less honey than hives facing the colder and longer winter of the far north.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the colony through the winter is the “winter cluster”. This is the group of all the bees in the colony, surrounding the queen to keep her safe and at the appropriate temperature.
Additionally, the physiology of worker bees destined for the winter cluster is different to those workers that live in the warmer months. One fascinating aspect of this is that “winter bees” can live far longer (measured in months) than the average lifespan of around 6 weeks for regular worker bees.
The winter cluster is one of nature’s great survival strategies and can see a healthy colony through the longest and coldest of winters.
Read More
Preparing HoneyBee Colonies for Winter
Fat Bees and The Winter Cluster*
* Colony Member-Only Content
