Bees in the Winter

Bees spend all spring and summer preparing for a cold winter by stocking up on as much honey as they can possibly create.  When winter finally arrives, bees stay dormant inside their hives at temperatures below 57 degrees Fahrenheit.  They huddle closely together to keep their queen warm, at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yesterday, we inspected our hives, as the temperature in our region of Texas made it up to the low 70s.  The bees were no doubt glad to have a warmup and venture outside of their boxes.  And, this gave us an opportunity to see how they have been faring the past couple of months.  The photos above are from yesterday's hive inspection.  Click on each photo to get a great view of our bees at work.

UL:  Bees are stretching their legs and wings on the landing board.  They are taking time to clean the inside and outside of their hive box, as it has been several days since they have had the opportunity.

UR:  Looking inside our hive and down at the frames, we were happy to see our bees are healthy and active.

LL:  Do you see the queen?  She is near the middle and in the process of laying eggs.  Look closely at the dark circles (cells) and you will see a tiny egg in each one.

LR:  This is the result of the bees' hard work from the past spring and summer; beautiful capped honey for the bees to continue to eat for the remainder of winter.