What do bees do in the winter?

Winter is a tricky time of year for bees. The cold weather makes it difficult to survive as they cannot fly in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and have limited energy reserves. So what do bees do during these long, cold winters?

It all starts with the bee colony making preparations ahead of winter, starting from late summer to early fall. The queen bee will stop laying eggs and instead focus her energy on staying warm; she provides the heat for the beehive by shivering or trembling her flight muscles to keep herself insulated. As winter gets closer, worker bees such as drones kick into gear and start stockpiling both pollen and honey for sustenance over the colder months. This is essential as their food sources are greatly reduced due to many flowers not blooming during this season.

Once winter arrives, the workers stay inside with their queen, huddling up together at a warmer spot near the center of their hive just above some honeycomb cells filled with honey which radiates little heat but keeps them all cozy nonetheless! As mentioned before, they rely on this stored food until spring comes around when it’s finally warm enough for them to venture outside again in search of new blooms and nectar-filled flowers that can sustain them throughout summertime's bustling activity - plus they get to make more honey while they’re at it!

So there you have it – bees are very active during the winter months. They do a lot of work to make sure their hive is ready for spring. Now you know how exactly bees manage through those chilly winters so that we can enjoy sweet honey come summertime!