Food for the Winter BEEs

Cold bees are not happy bees. The bees are not a fan of most seasons/weather changes. They are happiest when it is warm and sunny with no wind. Too hot they have to work hard to keep the hive cool. Too cold, they won’t come out because they are trying to stay warm. So think of them as Goldilocks; they like it the weather just right. This is when they are most productive.🐝🌞

Now one question is how do they get food if they do not come out? This is what we call “stores”. Before it gets too cold, we have to make sure that they have enough honey (stores) in the hive for them to eat. They eat honey in the winter just as they eat nectar the rest of the year. They continue with the circle of eating ( their winter nectar to then break it down to make honey) even through the winter. This cycle never ends for them.

If they do not have enough stores to get them through the winter, the beekeeper will hopefully catch this and give them extra stores to help them through. If they do not have enough food, then they will leave (swarm) on a warmer day to find another place to live. If they can not leave because it is too cold and they do not have enough food inside the hive, then they will die. This is very sad and breaks my heart. 💔

Thanks for reading.

Until next time, bee the change.

Rebekah