What Happens to Bees in Winter?

While flowers fade and leaves fall, life inside the hive slows down — but it doesn’t stop.

🐝 Inside the Winter Hive:

• The queen stops laying eggs.

• Worker bees huddle into a tight cluster around her.

• They vibrate their wing muscles to keep the cluster warm — maintaining an inner hive temp around 95°F.

• They eat stored honey to fuel this non-stop shivering.

💡 What’s Not Happening:

Bees don’t hibernate. They don’t leave the hive (unless it’s above 50°F for a brief “cleansing flight”). And drones? Most are gone before winter — kicked out by workers to conserve food.

🧠 The Takeaway:

Winter is a time of quiet endurance. Bees trust the work they’ve done all year — and focus on survival and care.