Ever wondered how a beehive stays alive during the winter months when they cannot regularly forage for nectar and pollen to replenish their food storage?
Well, they don’t simply fall asleep and wait things out. Unlike some bumblebee species which hibernate during the winter, honeybees remain active throughout the year. With a drastic decline in wild colonies throughout the past few decades, hives are primarily taken care of by beekeepers across the world. Thus, responsible beekeeping plays a crucial role in the survival of the species, particularly by ensuring enough honey is left in the hive for the winter months.
The colony is actively preparing and working to survive the seasonal changes. From food storage to a shift in egg-laying activity, heat generation, and worker bee movement, there is a complex natural survival plan at play within the hive. A plan that has evolved over millions of years of evolution.
The population drastically reduces, a cluster is formed, and the roles are set. It’s a period of remarkable endurance and a demonstration of the bee colony’s ability to adapt and survive in challenging conditions.
Autumn Preparation
By the end of summer, the majority of the male bee population is expelled from the hive. This is because their only purpose is to mate with the queen, and with fewer mouths to feed, it gives the colony a much higher chance to survive the colder, inactive months ahead. The queen bee stops or dramatically reduces egg-laying, which is beneficial to conserve food storage and the energy necessary to raise young bees.
The last autumn pollen and nectar foraging activity stops as flower availability diminishes in local areas. As beekeepers, it is our responsibility to ensure there is enough honey stored in the hive for the colony to consume during the winter months.
Moreover, the start of autumn is when hives are inspected and treated for varroa mites and other parasites that can be fatal for a colony if left unchecked. Keeping mite infestations under control is crucial to the hive’s health and well-being.
Autumn is also the time when the longest-living worker bees are born. These ‘winter bees’ can have a lifespan of up to 6 months in comparison to the ‘summer bee’ lifespan of up to 6 weeks. The winter bee larvae are fed a diet low in pollen, making them adapt to the harsh winter months by boosting their immune system, improving metabolic regulation, and extending their lifespan.
The Hive During Winter
When the temperature consistently drops below 10°C, bees begin forming a winter cluster as their survival strategy. This winter cluster consists of tightly packed bees creating a ball-shaped mass near the top center of the hive, with honey stored above and around them. The outer shell of this cluster of bees hardly moves to preserve energy during winter and create an insulating layer that can be several bees thick. Inside the cluster can be surprisingly warm (25-36°C) even in freezing outside temperatures.
Inside the core of the cluster, there are bees moving more freely and generating heat through a fascinating process called thermoregulation. They vibrate their flight muscles without actually flying, creating heat inside the cluster. In simple terms, this is the equivalent of shivering in order to bring body temperature up.
Importantly, the worker bees don’t stay in the same position throughout winter. The ones on the outer shell of the cluster move inward to warm up and feed, while the ones on the inside take responsibility for the outer insulating layer. Creating a cohesive rotation to keep the colony healthy and alive throughout winter.
The hive's goal is all about the survival of the queen bee, and the cluster slowly moves around the hive towards stored honey once a position has been depleted. On warmer winter days (10-15°C), some worker bees become more active, go on cleansing flights outside the hive, and forage for water.
Spring Activity
As temperatures start consistently rising and early spring flowers begin blooming, the queen starts to intensify her egg-laying activity. Worker bees also clear out debris, remove dead that didn’t survive, and polish cells so the queen has plenty of room to lay new eggs. Then, the winter bees have one final job: to nurse these larvae to healthy adult worker bees.
This is a critical point where food storage is low, and new brood (laid eggs) activity requires significant energy. The queen and colony must balance on a fine line to ensure survival.
Just as food is running low and the older bees are starting to die, this fresh population of adult worker bees begins foraging, racing to gather fresh nectar and pollen and replenish their food stores.
As a final note, the colony’s natural cycle, navigating across the seasons, demonstrates truly awe-inspiring signs of preparation, conservation, and resilience.