Sweater Weather...So what do the BEES do?

So what are the bees up to you ask??

As long the as the weather is relatively mild (about 55 degrees Fahrenheit), honey bees will continue to forage throughout the autumn months. In fact, worker bees spend many hours collecting enough nectar (carbohydrates) and pollen (protein) to feed and maintain the colony throughout the winter.

Honey bees born in the fall will need to be especially vigorous and healthy as they will be the ones who will keep the hive alive during the winter months. At the end of their lives, they will also have the very important job of raising a new generation of bees so that these young bees can then go out and forage for pollen and nectar in the spring. While in the summer months a hive can have about 60,000 bees, only 10,000 bees are needed to ensure a colony survives the winter.

As the days get progressively shorter and colder, these remaining bees will form what is called a “winter cluster”. The queen and her brood are kept at the center of this globe-like cluster. Worker bees shiver or vibrate their wing muscles, which generates enough heat to keep the hive warm in even very cold temperatures. On unseasonably mild winter days, bees will come out of the hive to dispose of waste products, clean the hive and forage. However, since there isn't much to forage in the middle of winter, their fall nectar and pollen gathering is critical to the hive’s continued survival.