December is the last month of the year, and Charles Butler, who authored “The Feminine Monarchie; Or The Historie of Bees” in 1609, wrote:
Bees lie still in their Hives, passing this fruitlesse time in sleepe and slumber, yet on milde and warme hours, they flie.
Bees are not quite as Butler described them sleeping away the winter. I am not exactly counting honey bees flying over my bed in dreams, but I am looking to see that my bees make it through the winter season. I have some time to think about new things I can try. I always look forward to the new year being better than last year. My bees survived Hurricane Debby, though 2024 provided my area of the country with record high temperatures and record rainfalls. I am again in that zone of having to hope that 2025 will be better than 2024.
Bees during winter
The actions of the beekeeper leading up to winter will for the most part determine how well these bees survive. The beekeeper’s job is not over just because it is cold outside. A peek into a hive may be possible, and brood rearing by Christmas may begin in the South. Photo 1 shows a cluster of honey bees gathered just under the inner cover hole during cold weather. Not one bee ventured to fly from the cluster, but as you can see, they were disturbed when cold air and light reached them. During cold weather a single bee has no chance to survive without all the other bees.
Each season has unique ways to challenge honey bees. Winter is cold and harsh. These bees are coping with a number of things, not passing the season in “sleepe and slumber.”
The major concern I have now is bee populations. If I did my job well, my hives have young populations of winter bees. Young bees born in late summer and fall are very hairy (Photo 2) — this provides additional air space for a cluster to conserve heat. I research bee topics to write my articles and find the scientific terms somewhat technical. As I write I am also learning, and I came across a new term which up to now was not in my vocabulary. Winter bees are referred to as diutinus bees …
