Bees are essential pollinators, playing a fundamental role in ecosystems by pollinating a significant portion of the world’s flowering plants, including many crops vital for human food production. They contribute to the reproduction of over 80% of plants, impacting one out of every three bites of food consumed. Bee activity levels fluctuate throughout the year, driven by seasonal changes in temperature and food availability.
Spring: The Awakening
As temperatures rise in spring, bees emerge from overwintering, marking renewed activity. Honey bee colonies recover and grow after consuming stored honey. The queen increases egg-laying, sometimes up to 2,000 eggs daily, to rebuild the population. Worker bees forage for early spring blooms like willows and maples, stimulating brood rearing and colony expansion.
Bumblebee queens, having hibernated alone, emerge in late March or early April. They seek nectar to replenish energy before searching for nesting sites, often in abandoned rodent burrows. Once a site is chosen, the queen lays her first eggs and forages to feed developing larvae.
Solitary bees, which do not live in colonies, emerge in spring, typically April and May, to mate and establish individual nests. Females collect pollen and nectar to provision brood chambers, where eggs are laid.
Summer: Peak Activity and Abundance
Summer represents the peak of bee activity. This period is characterized by abundant floral resources, warm temperatures, and extended daylight hours, creating optimal conditions for foraging and colony expansion. Honey bee colonies reach their largest populations, sometimes swelling to 60,000 members, and engage in foraging for nectar, pollen, and water. Worker bees perform waggle dances to communicate the location of food sources, allowing efficient resource collection. This collection supports honey production and fuels continued brood rearing.
Swarming, a natural reproductive process for honey bees, commonly occurs in late spring and early summer, particularly in April and May. This involves a portion of the colony, led by the old queen, departing to establish a new hive due to overcrowding. Bumblebee colonies continue to grow, with the queen laying more eggs and emerging worker bees taking over foraging duties. Solitary bees remain active, continuing their nesting and egg-laying cycles throughout the warmer months. The availability of diverse plant species during summer ensures a steady supply of nutrients, enabling bees to be productive.
Autumn: Preparing for Winter
As autumn approaches, bee behavior shifts from rapid growth to winter preparation. The availability of nectar and pollen gradually decreases, prompting bees to reduce foraging. Honey bee colonies focus on collecting food stores for the colder months. The queen significantly slows egg-laying, eventually stopping as temperatures drop, leading to a decline in colony size.
Male drones, whose purpose is mating, are often expelled from the hive to conserve resources, as they do not contribute to winter survival. Bees also seal cracks in their hives with propolis to insulate against the coming cold. This period allows the colony to consolidate resources and prepare for minimal external activity.
Winter: Dormancy and Survival
During winter, bee activity is at its lowest, with survival being the primary focus. Honey bees do not truly hibernate but form a “winter cluster” inside their hive when temperatures fall below 50°F (10°C). This cluster is a tightly packed group of bees, with the queen at the warm center, typically maintained at 90-100°F (32-37°C), while the outer layer remains around 50°F (10°C). Bees shiver their flight muscles to generate heat, consuming stored honey to fuel this process. The cluster moves slowly around the hive to access honey reserves, only breaking to allow bees to leave for cleansing flights on warmer days.
For bumblebees, only newly mated queens survive winter by hibernating alone in sheltered spots such as loose soil, leaf litter, or abandoned rodent burrows. These queens accumulate fat reserves in autumn and produce a natural antifreeze chemical to prevent freezing. Solitary bees have varied overwintering strategies; some species spend winter as adults within their nest cells, while others remain as larvae or pupae, developing into adults by the following spring. External activity for most bee species is minimal during this cold period, as they conserve energy to endure until spring.