What do bees do in the winter?
In the winter, honey bees enter a kind of dormancy, but they stay active inside the hive. To survive the cold, they form a tight cluster around the queen, generating heat by vibrating their muscles. This keeps the center of the cluster warm, while bees on the outer edge rotate in and out to stay alive.
Bees rely on the honey they stored up during warmer months for food. They slowly eat through their reserves, moving around the hive to access different frames of honey. They don’t leave the hive unless the temperature rises above freezing, and their activity is minimal compared to warmer months.
While they don’t do much cleaning, they will remove dead bees and waste when necessary. In some cases, if the weather isn’t too harsh, they might still raise a small number of brood, but brood rearing mostly stops during winter.
In short, honey bees huddle together for warmth, conserve food, and reduce their activity to make it through the winter. Their survival depends on having enough honey stored and maintaining the right temperature inside the hive.
How are winters in Sonora California
If you’re managing bees in Sonora, where spring can start to show up as early as February, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind to help your hives thrive.
First, you’ll need to monitor your hives closely going into winter to make sure the bees have enough food. Look for a healthy cluster of bees, and make sure they have enough honey stores to last through the cold weather. If they’re running low, you can give them some supplemental feeding, like sugar syrup or fondant.
Ventilation is also key. Even though it’s cold outside, you want to make sure the hive isn’t getting too damp inside. If there’s too much moisture, it could lead to mold or other issues. Ensure that the hive has good airflow, but without exposing the bees to cold drafts.
It’s also a good time to check for any pests or diseases, like varroa mites. You want to make sure your bees are healthy and ready for the coming season, so do a mite check and treat if necessary.
As temperatures start to warm up, think about adding some insulation around the hive, especially during those cold snaps. But be sure there’s still enough ventilation to keep moisture from building up inside the hive.
As for forage, keep an eye out for early bloomers, like Manzanita. Some nectar might be available even though it’s still early, so if the weather holds, your bees could benefit from some early food sources. But remember, weather in Sonora can be unpredictable, so be prepared for sudden cold snaps that could freeze those early blooms.
The bees can manage the temperature lows we have just fine. The real problem comes from a leaky lid or too much condensation inside the hive. Once the bees get wet its extremely hard for them to recover when temperatures drop. Adding a rim spacer to the hives that you can then fill with sugar and burlap will help keep them dry.
Honey is important
Bees stay warm in winter by eating the honey they stored during the warmer months. When they eat the honey, it gives them energy, and they use that energy to vibrate their muscles, which generates heat. The bees cluster together inside the hive, with the ones on the outside rotating in to stay warm. This heat keeps the center of the cluster at a steady temperature, allowing them to survive until the weather warms up enough for them to forage again. So, honey is their food and their way of staying warm during the cold months.
Conclusion
Keeping honey bees year round in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties is a great place to experience all the seasons with bees and they can thrive in it. With some precautions such as winter feed and preparing your colonies in the fall you will have great success with beekeeping in this area. The local Tuolumne county Honey has a lovely taste and is a wonderful benefit to local beekeeping.