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I’m often asked what happens to bee colonies in the winter. Well for many bees and wasps only the queens live through the winter. However, honey bees are different as they remain active all year around. 

At this time of year the drones (male bees) get kicked out of the hive. This may seem harsh but they are no longer needed and would just consume valuable honey stores.  As the weather gets cooler there is less nectar and pollen around. The number of bees in the colony reduces from the summer peak of 50-60,000 down to fewer than 10,000.

The bees form a cluster around the queen and her brood nest. They keep warm by eating their honey stores and ‘shivering’ their wing muscles keeping the centre of the nest at a toasty 37oc. On a warmer day the worker bees will fly out on ‘cleansing flights’ staining any washing or newly washed cars in the neighbourhood!

For beekeepers this is a quieter, more relaxing time of year. For the bees it is a very critical time. Colonies can easily starve if they get isolated from their honey stores. Each year the British Beekeepers Association monitors colony losses.

For both bees and beekeepers we wait for the first signs of snowdrops and crocus to signal the start of spring and a new year ahead.

I’m often asked what happens to bee colonies in the winter. Well for many bees and wasps only the queens live through the winter. However, honey bees are different as they remain active all year around. 

At this time of year the drones (male bees) get kicked out of the hive. This may seem harsh but they are no longer needed and would just consume valuable honey stores.  As the weather gets cooler there is less nectar and pollen around. The number of bees in the colony reduces from the summer peak of 50-60,000 down to fewer than 10,000.

The bees form a cluster around the queen and her brood nest. They keep warm by eating their honey stores and ‘shivering’ their wing muscles keeping the centre of the nest at a toasty 37oc. On a warmer day the worker bees will fly out on ‘cleansing flights’ staining any washing or newly washed cars in the neighbourhood!

For beekeepers this is a quieter, more relaxing time of year. For the bees it is a very critical time. Colonies can easily starve if they get isolated from their honey stores. Each year the British Beekeepers Association monitors colony losses.

For both bees and beekeepers we wait for the first signs of snowdrops and crocus to signal the start of spring and a new year ahead.

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Why do bees swarm?

If you see a big, swirling cloud heading out across the rooftops and trees, it could be a swarm of honeybees. They have left the safety of their hive and are flying off to find a new home – a hole in a tree, a chimney or an empty hive. It's an awesome sight! 

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Swarming bees are full of honey - carrying supplies for their new home - so they usually don't sting. But it's best to stand well back just in case!

Swarming is an important, natural process. It happens when a colony of honeybees splits and the queen takes a large number of worker bees with her in search of a new home. It's the way they reproduce. As soon as the old queen reaches the new nest site her entourage builds wax honeycomb so then she can lay her eggs and there’s space for pollen and honey stores.

Meanwhile in the original hive site new queens are hatching. Another one or two queens might leave the colony to set up a new home but one will stay to rule over the original hive. In this way the colony becomes two, three or more colonies.

Honey bees mostly swarm early in the season from late April to June. So this is a busy time for beekeepers!

Swarming early in the season gives the bees enough time to set up their new home and gather plenty of stores to see them through the winter. Beekeepers put out bait hives to try to lure a passing swarm. We also ‘artificially’ swarm our colonies which means separating the brood from the queen and flying bees. This splits the colonies and the urge to swarm goes away - usually! 

So if you are lucky enough to see a swarm of bees, marvel at this force of nature and then find your local swarm collector here: https://www.bbka.org.uk/swarm#swarmmap 

 

How do you move a honeybee colony?

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