How Do Bees Survive the Winter? A Detailed Explanation of How Bee Colonies Overwinter

When the temperature drops below 8 degrees, the bee colony huddles together inside the hive and survives on honey, entering a dormant state. When bees overwinter, they often cluster together in a ball. They draw close to each other inside the hive; the lower the temperature, the tighter the cluster, reducing the surface area of the bee ball and increasing its density to prevent excessive heat loss.

1. Before overwintering, bees store a large amount of honey in the hive, and throughout the winter the colony feeds on these reserves. If the honey stored in the hive is insufficient, the colony is very likely to starve to death, so artificially kept colonies must have their feed topped up before winter.

2. Before overwintering, bees rear a large number of winter bees of the right age. These winter bees are the key factor in whether the colony can overwinter successfully, and the more winter bees there are, the safer the colony's overwintering tends to be. If there are too few winter bees, the colony may not survive until the following spring.

3. When overwintering, bees form a cluster that may be tight or loose. The lower the temperature, the tighter the colony clusters; conversely, the higher the temperature, the looser the cluster. In addition, during the winter worker bees generate heat by eating honey to maintain the temperature of the cluster.

4. The end of overwintering depends on the local climate and temperature. When the early-spring temperature rises above 8°C, the colony breaks up and begins to leave the hive, and at the same time worker bees feed the queen large amounts of royal jelly, after which the queen, which stopped laying during the winter, will gradually resume egg laying.