so…what do bees do in the winter???
Almost everyone associates bees with warm weather. Buzzing around in the May flowers after April’s showers and moseying around picnics in the summer. But there’s one question, in particular, almost everyone asks: what do bees do in the winter???
the beekeeper’s calendar
Before we get to answering that, let’s lay out the beekeeper’s “calendar”. That sets the stage to understand why they do what they do. Like most other living things, our colonies have phases they cycle through that just so happen to change with the seasons. It’s super easy to follow! Well, not really…but it gives us a starting point. Mother Nature doesn’t always work with us. Another factor is the hive itself. Different colonies have their own unique personalities and work at their own paces. In general, though, the calendar gives us a good framework.
Here's the simple version:
Spring: watching for signs of swarming Summer: doing checkups and harvesting honeyFall: harvest again and start preparing for winterWinter: …By the time winter rolls around it’s on the bees. In the fall, we focus on building up the population inside the hive so they have an easier time keeping warm. We’re also feeding on top of all the honey and pollen they’ve stored. That’s their food for the winter! All we can do in the winter is feed them and give ‘em a winter coat and maybe a scarf.
And even though there isn’t much to see from the outside, we’ve got busy bees on the inside!
what do they do in there?
When it gets cold, the bees cluster together with the queen in the middle to keep her warm. By flexing their wing muscles, they can keep the center of their cluster 90-100 degrees…bees make a great air conditioning unit. As it gets colder, the bee ball gets tighter and tighter.
what do they eat?
Keeping the hive warm takes a lot of energy. That’s why they store honey and pollen all year! You’d think honey is the most important, right? That’s what they eat the most, but the pollen is the make or break! Honey is basically liquid sugar, but they need protein too. Pollen! The bees actually mix the honey and pollen to make ‘bee bread’! The cluster eats a little, warms up, moves to the next section of food, and repeats all winter!
and…what about when nature calls?
There’s one thing the bees don’t do inside the hive in the winter…all that eating and working out, when do they go to the bathroom? Bees like to keep their home clean, so the inside hive is actually poop-free! Yes, believe it or not, the bees hold it all winter. Mother Nature usually helps a bit, luckily. The bees take cleansing flights and let loose on the random warm winter days. Besides that, they don’t go until spring.
how you can help!
Wintertime is tough on the girls, not all hives make it through. But our job as beekeepers is to help them as much as possible! Whether it’s changing up our spring activities or coming up with new ideas for handling moisture and temperature, Evan’s Honey Co. is always trying to level up our winter game. We could use your help, though! After all that work in the winter, our bees come into spring hungry for more nectar and pollen. That’s where you come in!
The best thing you can do to help our bees out is to plant for the spring. Flowers and trees that bloom in late March and April help them out A TON! It helps honey lovers, too. Evan’s Honey is always wildflower honey, the bees get nectar from whatever plants they want. They like variety and we don’t have a problem with that at all. We feel like it’s better that way. The flavor palette of our raw honey changes depending on what flowers are being visited by our bees. It’s all thanks to the plant buffet you provide! Daffodils, crocus, iris, tulips…whatever you like! Our bees love options!