Beekeeping in winter

Winter Beekeeping

In winter, honeybees gather in a central area of the hive and form a “winter cluster”. A winter cluster is much like a huddle you may have seen at a football game-except it lasts all winter. Bees have one main job in the winter-to keep the queen safe and warm. In order to do so, worker bees surround the queen and form a cluster with their bodies. The worker bees then flutter their wings and shiver. The constant motion keeps the temperature of the hive warm. Though the queen is always at the center of the cluster, worker bees rotate from the outside to the inside of the cluster, so no individual bee gets too cold.