The Facts of Bee Life

The life cycle of any organism follows similar stages, which is also true for bees. The bee cycle flows from baby bee brood to adulthood. In this cycle, a bee may be fed royal jelly and become a queen, but only after taking out her competition. Other female bees become workers, caring for the queen, baby brood, and the hive. The male bees, known as drones, are responsible for mating with the queen. Bees do not live long lives, but they follow the same pattern as all living things: they need food (energy), water, shelter, and to reproduce.

The Queen Bee

Queen bees mate once and then spend two to three years laying thousands of eggs. Queens typically live longer than other bees because they do not leave the hive to forage, so their risk is lower. Although some bees only live for a few weeks, while others can live for years, bee colonies can stay intact and thrive for long periods! Once a beehive gets too crowded, it may need to find another location and split the beehive.

Seasonal BEEhavior

Bees are more active in the warmer months, and September typically marks the new bee cycle for bee colonies. A beehive's health in the current year will determine how well it does in the following seasons. Caring beekeepers use a hive’s health to help make predictions and adjustments as they see it necessary to help their hives thrive. Foraging is required to provide enough food and nectar for all the bees, so if more bees die in the winter that can’t be replaced, the hives' overall growth can suffer. Beekeepers may choose a new queen and place her in an existing hive or take other measures to help their hives along.

Summer Peaks for Bees

In the summer months, bees are most active in foraging and swarming. Colonies are at maximum capacity in these months, and it is when bees store up resources for what is ahead. Summer is when many people find bees in their pools, and this can be avoided with non-toxic bee deterrents and by placing fresh water in the bees’ flight path.

Swarming can be alarming if you're unsure of what bees are doing. Bees can darken the sky as they swarm and end up in a temporary location until a new hive location is determined. Then, bees do the waggle dance to let others know the spot they have chosen. Once bees move into a new hive, they quickly build and begin to strengthen the colony.

The Fall in the Fall

As the weather cools down in the fall, foraging sources can significantly decrease, leaving bees to forage further to obtain the food they need. As resources become scarce, so does the population within the beehive. Younger bees have a higher likelihood of survival through the winter. If there is a significant shortage, drone bees are sent from the hive and do not survive. Beekeepers must weigh these choices every season and consider numerous factors to determine what they believe is best for their hives.

Bees Surviving Harsh Winters

Bees are resourceful and can use their bodies to generate heat in cold months, thereby regulating the temperature of their hive. Bees cluster together and flap their wings to increase their heat. Maintaining a stable hive temperature in winter is crucial for the survival of the brood. As bees heat an area, they will then collectively move to another location within the hive to warm that spot, and so on.

Spring Has Sprung

Spring is when bees get a break because there is so much to forage, and they don’t have to go far to get more than they need. Water dew on plants and flowers is a welcome thing to bees, and bee populations typically grow during these seasons. In these seasons of extreme growth, hives may be overwhelmed, and swarming may occur. Some beekeepers will add boxes to existing hives to make more space, but a thriving hive may be too big for its britches.