Last Friday the temperatures in central Iowa FINALLY made it to the 40s, plus the sun actually was shining. I could hardly wait to get into our three hives.

What would I find? Would there be any bees? How many were still hanging out in the hive?

Contrary to what many people think, bees do NOT hibernate in winter months. The queen stops laying eggs and there are no forage bees bringing in nectar, but the hive still is very much alive. To survive sub-freezing temperatures, the bees form a giant cluster about the size of a basketball. They take turns being on the outside where it is the coldest, and together they vibrate their bodies to generate enough heat to live.

And guess who is in the middle? The queen, of course!

So even when it’s a frigid minus 10 degrees outdoors, you can be sure that inside that cluster it’s a cozy 90+ degrees. Quite a feat!

When temperatures rise to the mid-40s, the bees will fly and fly they will. It’s called a cleansing flight because they unload their little bodies of feces, which they will NOT deposit in the hive.

The best winter food is what the bees store up for themselves (honey) but all Beekeepers I know put a supplemental supply on top of the frames, just to make sure the bees have food. The easiest are winter pollen patties, a flat “pancake” of sticky, high-protein concoction.

We popped the lids to the hives and found generous clusters of slow-moving bees. They were finishing up the last of the pollen patties that I had given them in November.

Joy! This was exactly what a beekeeper wants to see!

A few bees were aroused and began to fly at me. Luckily, I had on my bee suit and gloves. Every time they brushed against my clothes, they left a deposit of golden-brown feces. Oh well!

Although they didn’t look too appetizing to me, the golden winter patties were a hit as soon as I laid them across the frames.

Now I could rest peacefully, knowing my bees – at least for now – had something to eat.