For a long time, before I really recognized honeybees as being so important to our environment I never really knew how bees managed to survive frigid winters and emerge from their hives strong, happy, and plentiful once spring rolled around. I recently learned that honeybees have an intricate way of keeping their hives alive through the freezing temperatures. The queen bees are of course constantly laying and hatching eggs to expand the size of the hive, and one of the main reasons is because the more bees that exist in the hive during the winter time, the warmer they can keep the hive. Though a bigger hive doesn't necessarily mean better, when autumn comes and the colony prepares more for the winter they kick all the male, drones, out of the hive. In the winter time the male bees are nearly useless, since they cannot defend the hive, collect pollen, or care for the eggs and larvae the way the female bees can, they are thrown out into the cold to face the elements and eventually die. The female bees will then huddle close together, with the queen in the middle, to keep the hive as warm as they can, since they cannot move after their body temperatures drop below 45 degrees. The colony relies on the stock of honey they have collected to eat during the winter, when they often cannot forage for food, and when they eat the honey they start from the bottom of the hive and work their way up.
Though bees obviously have their winter survival skills figured out, there are always still ways we can help them to survive when they may be struggling a bit. Sometimes a hive will lose a queen at the start of winter, which means there won't be any new bees hatching all winter long, and other times a hive could be seriously lacking on their storage of honey. Here are some simple ways to give them a hand in the freezing temperatures this year.
1. Plant late-bloomers, and keep early bloomers toxic free
By planting flowers that bloom late into the fall, like asters and goldenrod, you will give honeybees a chance to stock away more food before the harsher months come along. As well as helping early spring bloomers, like willow and maple trees, stay clear of toxic chemicals and pesticides that could harm the bees searching for food for the first time in months.
2. That being said, start planning a bee friendly spring garden.
It's never too early to start planning the garden for next spring, and keeping in mind to plant a few bee friendly plants will help our little friends immensely, especially when they are so low on food backup.
3. Provide nesting materials.
In the late winter, putting out nesting materials for bees, such as nesting blocks, nesting boxes, or even just solid bare ground will help the bees begin creating new homes and hives.
I know the saying, out of sight out of mind, if the bees aren't buzzing around a blooming garden in the dead of winter they are probably the last thought on your mind, but they could always use a little help surviving the harsh winters, and especially now more than ever.
