Bees are very important animals. We need them to help pollinate flowers so they can reproduce and create fruits/vegetables for us to eat. Without bees, our food supply would be dramatically affected.
What do bees do in the winter?
In the winter, many bees will get together to form a cluster. They’ll keep this group very tight so they can stay warm. They may also leave their hive to find water and other things that might be useful during the winter.
Bees eat in the winter
When it’s cold outside, bees will live off of the honey and pollen they’ve collected throughout the year.
Bees make in the winter
Bees will make more honey and use it up during the winter months when there aren’t any flowers to pollinate.
Finding a New Home
Bees might decide to move their hive if it gets too humid or cold, or if other things happen that make the hive uncomfortable. If a bee leaves her original hive and finds a new place to live, she’ll make a new one using beeswax!
If you see a bee hive in your yard, don’t try to remove it yourself. You might hurt the bees or startle them so they sting you! Bees will only sting if they feel threatened.
Collecting honey
Some bees, like honeybees, will store their food in a special room called the honeycomb. It’s made out of beeswax. These bees will go out and collect nectar (which is like fruit juice) from flowers, then bring it back to the hive.
Bees use nectar to create honey! They mix it with special enzymes in their stomachs and store it until they return to the hive. Then, the bee regurgitates (spits out) the nectar and other bees will fan it with their wings until it turns into honey.
Bee Troubles
If you notice a bee has fallen on the ground or is stuck in your house, don’t swat at it! When bees die they release a chemical that alerts all of the other bees to attack. If you find a bee in your home, carefully take it outside near some flowers so it can go back to its hive.
Bee Defense
Bees might sting if they feel threatened or if another insect is too close to their hive. They only have stingers on the upper half of their body so they can protect themselves while hovering in front of flowers to collect nectar!
Bees live in the winter
Bees live in hives through the winter. They make their hive by using beeswax to build walls and put honey inside for food.
If there aren’t any flowers, they’ll use the honey that was made during summer.
Bees do lots of things in the winter! You can help protect them by planting flowers around your home. Then the bees will have food to eat over the winter.
