November in the Bee Garden

As we head into winter, find out what happens to bees in the colder months. Have a go at spotting places that some types of bees or bee pupae might spend the winter around your school - we would love to see your photos.

02 November 2022

A bee hotel

What happens to bees in the winter?

Explore the meaning behind the bolded words in our glossary at the bottom of this page.

Have you ever noticed that as we get closer to winter, you spot fewer bees? This month we look into why that is. To be able to fly, bees need to have warm flight muscles to flap their wings. When the weather gets colder, these muscles don’t get warm enough and it becomes very difficult for bees to fly. There are also fewer flowers for bees to visit in the colder months, so finding food is much harder. Different types of bee have different ways of coping in the winter months:

Bumblebees

The old queens, male and worker bumblebees do not survive the colder winter months. Only newly hatched and mated bumblebee queens survive the winter, feeding on nectar and pollen that helps to build up fat stores for the season. After this, they usually go underground into an old mouse or vole hole, where they are protected from the cold, damp weather. The queen bumblebees wake up in the spring, ready to lay their eggs.

Queen red tailed bumblebee looking for a place to spend the winter. Image credit: Helen Bostock

Solitary bees

The adults will have died in the autumn, leaving the pupae to overwinter in a hole in the ground, a hole in the cement in a wall, a hole in a dead tree, hollow plant stems or a bee hotel put up by some kind gardeners.

Right-hand image: Solitary bee pupae being taken out of a bee hotel and counted. Image credit: Helen Bostock

Honeybees

Female worker bees will feed on pollen and store honey ready to stay in their hive over winter.  They form a cluster around the queen bee to keep her warm through this period, moving around the hive in their cluster to stay warm and reach their honey stores. 
 
If you would like to find out what a pollinator is and why bees need pollen, have a look at our September and October news from the Bee Garden.

Take part: Spot nesting spaces

This month we are asking you to spot places around your school where newly mated bumblebee queens might like to spend the winter, or where you might find solitary bee pupa. They might be old mouse or vole holes, bee hotels, hollow plant stems, dead trees or holes in the cement in a wall. How many can you find?
 
Share your nesting spaces with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #RHSWinterBeeGarden
 
If you would like to create a space where bees and other creatures can spend the colder winter months, have a look at our ‘Make a bug hotel’ project. 

Children from St George’s Primary School spotted this hole in the ground that could make a good spot for a bumblebee queen to spend the winter.
 

Exploring the bee hotel at St George's Primary School

This month the children from St George’s Primary School have been out and about around their school looking for places where some types of bee might spend the colder months.

Bee hotel made by pupils at St George’s Primary School

The children took a photo of the bee hotel at their school that will provide a good spot for some types of solitary bee pupa to spend the winter. Bumblebee queens looking for dry places to spend the winter look for holes like the one that the children found, to stay out of the cold, wet weather.

“I have learned that bees can live underground.”

They also spotted some holes in a wall that solitary bee pupae might be able to use to overwinter.

“My favourite is the red mason bee. We have some small holes in the school wall, I hope they live there but I didn’t see one.”

Glossary