Honey Bees Coping with Minnesotan Winter!

Wind in Minnesota

This morning the thermometer indicated-15F (-26C). That is darn cold (excuse my French!!!), I just went outside all bundled up to get the newspaper, and the cold air hurt my lungs...Now I know why bears hibernate and stay cozy and warm all winter!

So what about the bees? First they are not warm blooded like us or the bears! They are insects as you know. However they have a special way to keep warm. Unlike most insects who produce a chemical called glycerol or other chemicals which act as a natural antifreeze and keep them from freezing to death. And unlike others which find shelters, in soil, under the bark of trees or decide to come inside your own home for warmth. And unlike some insects that are even smarter and migrate south to a warmer climate like the Monarch butterflies! 

Honey bees are special and don't go dormant either; they stay active in their hives days and nights during winters to survive. Unlike us, honey bees don't heat their homes to keep warm. Temperature of a healthy colony never goes below 63F (17C) when outside temperature falls to -20F (-28C). 

This what happens right now when our temperatures are so cold.
All the bees stay in a tight cluster around the Queen, usually in the center of the hive. 

 Infra red picture of a bee cluster

Bees on the outside of the "ball" of bees insulate the bees and the Queen that are in the center. See the picture, the outside is darker in color (colder),  and inside, bright yellow (warmer). 
The bees of course alternate their position from insulating, outside cluster  (heat producer) to the inner cluster generating heat with their bodies (heat retainer). It is remarkable! We cannot do that!

Honey bees generate heat with their tiny bodies by "shivering" their unhinged flight muscles. To keep and  maintain a good inside cluster temperature of about 93F (33C) the bees have to consume a lot of honey which is then converted into energy. However, when the outside temperatures are very cold like now in Minnesota and prolongated over many days, this enormous effort tend to sap the bees from their strengths and vitality making them vulnerable.

How can we help our little darlings, then? We have to be careful, we don't want to insulate the boxes so much that they "overheat" and generate too much moisture and die of freezing.

Instead, it is recommended to  make a natural windbreaker around the hives from the prevailing winds in late fall. Because without one, it becomes more difficult for the cluster to maintain a normal temperature.



 Wrapping our hives in black roofing paper, or a black waxed cardboard liners is also important.

Giving an upper entrance, for the moisture to escape is an excellent way to ventilate the hives, preventing condensation which would eventually fall onto the insulated layer of bees producing a frozen ball of bees.
Studies show "that moisture-laden air is often more detrimental to honey bee colonies in winter than cold temperatures."

Ukrainian hives

Still, I think about my bees a lot these days. Especially knowing that I already lost 50% of my hives so far. But I have to be patient...

I think I will make myself a  cup of cocoa, and read a good book by the fireplace and wait for a warm up!