Winter Wonders: What Bees Do When the Cold Sets In

Ah, February in East Troy — a time when the snow (if we have it!) sparkles like diamonds, the wind howls through the trees, and the local beekeepers are holding their breath. While the hive may seem quiet, there’s still plenty of action happening inside. Contrary to what we might think about the frozen months, bees aren’t just huddling around a cluster of honey waiting for the spring thaw. They're busy in their own way, and the queen is orchestrating a little bit of a winter miracle.

The Hive’s Winter Strategy

To the casual observer, the winter hive may look like a still, silent world, but inside it’s a tight-knit community working hard to stay warm and well-fed. Bees are incredibly organized, and during the colder months, they enter a sort of “survival mode” where they conserve energy, work in shifts, and focus on maintaining a constant temperature within the hive. This isn’t just about staying warm, though—it's about surviving until spring, when the flowers bloom and the foraging season begins again.

A Queen’s Delicate Balance

If you're a beekeeper, February is an intriguing month. The queen, typically seen as the heart of the hive, knows that while winter is still very much in full swing, she’s already thinking ahead. In fact, right now is when she begins laying a few eggs, though not in the usual prolific numbers. Why? The queen’s strategy is all about balance.

You see, baby bees — the brood — require significant resources to grow. They need not only food – honey and pollen – they also need warmth. Nurse bees are young worker bees who feed and tend to the brood. Then there are the heater bees, which help maintain the warmth – 85 to 95 degrees F – needed to grow the babies. So, laying too many eggs would drain the hive’s resources, and cause chaos.

Instead, the queen carefully lays a few eggs, just enough to bolster the numbers of her winter workforce but not too many to overwhelm the hive’s ability to keep them warm and nourished.

The Winter Bee Workforce

Unlike their busy summer cousins, the winter bees are a specialized group. They’re born in the fall and are the hive's winter army. Their job is to maintain the warmth of the hive, and they do so by clustering tightly together in the center of the hive, vibrating their muscles to generate heat. When a few new bees hatch in February, they’ll join this army, lending a hand in the crucial work of temperature regulation.

But don’t expect them to be out foraging! While they will leave the hive on warm days over 50 degrees F to take cleansing flights, most days they’re inside the hive in survival mode. The warmth and care they give to the young brood will prepare the hive for the eventual spring surge. As temperatures rise and days lengthen, the queen will gradually increase her egg-laying, and the hive will expand its population to full strength, ready to tackle the busy summer ahead.

A Lesson in Resilience

The way bees manage their winter months is truly a marvel of nature’s efficiency. They work together to ensure the hive survives, each bee playing a role, from the queen laying just enough eggs to the worker bees tirelessly maintaining warmth and order. It’s all about sustainability and resilience—a lesson we could all stand to learn, especially as February drags on and winter seems like it may never end.

So, next time you’re enjoying a glass at The Hive Taproom, remember that even as the snow piles up outside, inside the hive, the buzz of life continues—just a little more quietly, but no less effectively. The bees are laying the groundwork for spring, one tiny egg at a time.

We hope this blog brings a little warmth to your winter, even if it’s just the thought of the bees’ incredible winter strategy! The next time you spot a honeybee in the spring, you can rest assured that they’ve earned every bit of their buzz.