Do honey bees hibernate overwinter?

No, honey bees do not hibernate during winter.

The honey bee is the only bee to maintain a colony throughout the winter. The colony reduces its size in autumn and relies on its stores of honey to last it through the winter months when it is too cold for foraging or there is no forage available.  The colony clusters together inside the hive to keep warm using their bodies to generate heat with bees taking turns to be on the cold outside.  The queen will remain at the centre of the cluster.  On warmer days honey bees will go on ‘cleansing flights’ to relieve themselves of waste.


The charitable object of the British Beekeepers' Association is:

'to advance the education of the public and beekeepers in the craft of beekeeping and promote the importance of bees in the evironment.'

We welcome donations to one of our current appeals:

Save the Bees or Apiary and Education