| We all know winter is coming and that means pulling out the warm coats, mitts and toques and spending more time indoors. Have you ever wondered how bees survive our Canadian winters?
Once the weather turns cold, the bees stop flying. And just like we wrap ourselves in a warm coat, our beekeepers wrap up their bees too! Some beekeepers will wrap the hives in an insulating material or if they have the space, they move them into heated storage facilities at their apiary.
Bees will huddle in a crowd into the lower central area of the hive forming a winter cluster. Worker bees huddle around the queen. The cluster will shiver to keep the centre around 27C/80F. Workers rotate from the outside to the inside of the cluster ensuring no bees get cold. The colder the weather the more compact the cluster. Aren't bees amazing? | 