Like with any of the seasons winter can mean many things to all people. If you live in Vermont you are most likely a skier or a snowboarder. However if you are like me and bees you choose to stay cozy and warm all cuddled up with friends and loved ones in your home or hive.
 Bees will not fly if the temperture drops below  50/degrees. Why would they, there are no flowers, which means no pollen and nectar. The bees will however leave for short flights to eliminate waste, in this rare instance bees will flex their abdominal muscles to keep warm for this specific flight.
 As we all know bees work extremely hard all spring and summer making honey. They will seperate into two catergories the honey they will eat and the honey that will maintain a stable shelf life, in which they will save and eat all winter. Not only does the honey provide food, but while they are feasting they release heat into the hive.
 Bees will stay in their hives all winter. The bees will thermostatically control the hive. They will make sure the hive nursery is always 93/degrees and the rest of the hive does not go below 45/degrees. As I explained one way they do is releasing heat as they eat, the other way they keep warm is they will huddle in a circle around their queen. The bees form a large circle around the queen rotating from the inside to the outside so each bee can stay warm and they all have the responsbility of being on the outside. As it gets colder they will tighten the huddle, the queen is always in the middle of course!
 It sounds like a good way to spend the winter, especially for the queen! However like in the spirit of a queen she will in some cases fly from the hive and look for shelter elsewhere to lay her eggs. This location could be in a deserted home of a mouse, for example. She will burrow out a hole in the well drained sandbank, or maybe move in with you!
 For most insects and animals and even humans, winter can be about survival, making sure to do what it takes to stay healthy and warm through the cold dark months. Maybe we can all take some advice from these intellegent creatures! Stock up on food, huddle with your community, and take care of yourself and eachother.

Dormant Art Photo from Google images.

Written for The Healthy Hippie Magazine winter of ‘08

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 3:28 pm and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.