Where do bees go during winter? Do they die out or go to warmer climates? When summer ends and the busy nectar-collecting bees disappear, what happens to them?
While some species of bees go into hibernation or die off completely with only the queen re-emerging in Spring to establish a new generation, the honeybee stays active all through the cold season.
After working overtime to produce enough honey to last through the winter months, these bees have only one job!
To protect their Queen.
The Queen Bee is marked here for identification purposes.
They gather in the centre of the hive and huddle around the queen to keep her warm. As temperatures plummet, the bees flex the muscles used for flight. Although their little wings don’t move at all, the vibration caused by this constant fluttering creates heat.
To cleverly regulate the temperature in the hive, worker bees at the back of the huddle will fan out or move in closer against the queen. This is to ensure that the queen does not get too warm or too cold. On warmer days, the bees will venture out to get rid of body waste and clean the hive.
For the bees to fuel this winter-long shivering, a whopping 15KG of honey is consumed by some hives.
A honeybee enjoying a snack