Do bees hibernate in winter?

No, bees do not hibernate in the traditional sense. Honey bees stay active inside their hives throughout winter, generating heat and consuming stored honey. Bumblebee queens and solitary bees enter diapause, a specialized dormancy state different from mammalian hibernation.

What is diapause in bees?

Diapause is a programmed physiological state where a bee's metabolism slows dramatically, development halts, and the body enters suspended animation. Hormonal changes protect tissues from cold damage and regulate energy use over months. It's not sleep—it's an evolved survival mechanism.

How do honey bees stay warm in winter?

Honey bees form a tight cluster and vibrate their flight muscles to generate heat without flying. This keeps the cluster core between 57-93°F even in freezing temperatures. They rotate positions so outer bees can move inward to warm up.

Do all bees in a honey bee colony survive winter?

Not all individual bees survive, but the colony as a unit does. Winter bees live 4-6 months instead of the typical 5-6 weeks, and the population shrinks significantly. As long as they have enough honey and the queen survives, the colony rebounds in spring.

What happens to bumblebees in winter?

All bumblebee workers and the old queen die by late fall. Only newly mated queens survive winter. Each queen burrows underground, enters diapause, and lives off fat reserves until spring, when she emerges to start a new colony alone.

Where do solitary bees spend the winter?

Solitary bees overwinter inside sealed brood cells within their nests—in the ground, hollow stems, wood cavities, or beetle tunnels. They remain in various life stages (egg, prepupa, pupa, or adult) depending on species, protected by the nest structure.

Why do I sometimes see honey bees on warm winter days?

Honey bees take brief cleansing flights when temperatures rise above roughly 50°F. They need to defecate outside the hive to maintain cleanliness. These flights are quick—bees aren't foraging, just performing necessary maintenance.

How much honey does a hive need to survive winter?

A honey bee colony typically needs 60-90 pounds of stored honey to survive winter in temperate climates. The exact amount depends on colony size, winter length, and local conditions. Without sufficient stores, the colony cannot generate enough heat and will die.

Can solitary bees survive if their nest is disturbed in winter?

It depends on the severity and timing. Minor disturbances may be tolerated, but major disruptions—excavation, flooding, or destruction of nest materials—can kill developing bees. They cannot relocate or rebuild once sealed inside their cells.

When do bees emerge from winter dormancy?

Honey bees are active all winter but increase activity in early spring. Bumblebee queens typically emerge when soil temperatures rise and early flowers bloom, usually March-May depending on region. Solitary bees emerge based on species-specific timing, often synchronized with particular plant blooms.

Do Bees Hibernate? Understanding How Bees Survive Winter.

Pete Rizzo
Nov 25, 2025
7 min read

Updated: Dec 2, 2025

Do Bees Hibernate?

Honey Bees: No. They do not hibernate. They stay awake all winter in a cluster, vibrating to generate heat and eating stored honey.

Bumblebees: Yes (Queens only). The colony dies, and the new queens hibernate underground in a state called diapause.

Solitary Bees: Yes. They overwinter in sealed nests as pupae or dormant adults.

Listen to the Article:

When temperatures drop and bees disappear, many people assume they're hibernating. The reality is more complex and varies dramatically by species.

Different bees have evolved completely different strategies for winter survival, and understanding these differences explains why some bees vanish while others persist through the cold months.

Here's what actually happens with honey bees, bumblebees, and solitary bees when winter arrives.

Bee Type	Hibernates?	Winter Strategy	Survival Mechanism
Honey Bee	No	Active Winter Cluster	Shivering thermogenesis (generating heat)
Bumblebee	Yes	Diapause (Queen only)	Underground dormancy; metabolic slowdown
Solitary Bee	Yes	Dormancy	Sealed inside stems or ground nests

Do Honey Bees Hibernate? The Winter Cluster Explained

Honey bees do not hibernate. The entire colony of worker bees and the queen bee remain active inside the hive throughout winter. Contrary to popular belief, bees do not migrate to warmer areas.

They form a winter cluster

The colony contracts into a tight ball of bees. Worker bees pack themselves around the queen and any remaining brood, creating living insulation. Winter is a 'hands-off' period for beekeepers to avoid chilling the hive.

The outer layer acts as a protective shell while bees on the inside maintain warmer temperatures. The cluster constantly rotates, with outer bees periodically moving inward to warm up.

They generate their own heat

Honey bees produce warmth by vibrating their flight muscles without actually flying. This creates heat through muscular contraction, similar to mammalian shivering but far more coordinated and efficient.

The cluster maintains temperatures between 57-93°F at its core, even when outside temperatures plunge below freezing.

They live off stored honey

The cluster slowly migrates through the hive to access honey stores. That honey provides the calories needed to fuel constant heat generation. A colony without sufficient honey reserves cannot produce enough warmth and will die before spring.

They shift into "winter mode"

Winter bees are physiologically different from summer bees. They live 4-6 months instead of 5-6 weeks because they accumulate more fat body reserves and vitellogenin proteins.

This extended lifespan allows the colony to survive the gap between fall's last blooms and spring's first nectar flows.

Honey bee winter survival depends on collective effort. There is no dormancy, no true rest. Just continuous, quiet activity powered by months of stored resources.

Bumblebee Hibernation: The Queen’s Underground Diapause

Bumblebees follow an entirely different strategy.

Only the queen survives

By late fall, all workers and the original queen die. Newly mated queens, produced specifically for overwintering, are the sole survivors of each colony.

The queen stores energy

She spends late summer building fat reserves that will sustain her for 6-9 months without food. These lipid stores are her only fuel until spring.

She finds shelter underground

Queens burrow into loose soil, moss, leaf litter, or abandoned rodent tunnels. The location must remain relatively stable in temperature and provide some insulation from extreme cold.

She enters diapause

Diapause is not sleep or simple hibernation. It's a programmed physiological state where metabolism slows dramatically, development halts, and the bee enters a form of suspended animation.

Hormonal changes protect tissues from cold damage and regulate energy consumption throughout winter.

The queen remains underground until sustained spring warmth triggers emergence, at which point she starts an entirely new colony alone.

How Solitary Bees Survive Winter

Most bee species are solitary, and their winter strategies differ from both honey bees and bumblebees.

They overwinter inside sealed nests

Solitary bees develop inside individual brood cells within nests located in the ground, hollow stems, beetle tunnels, or cavities in wood. The sealed cell and surrounding nest structure provide protection from cold, moisture, and predators.

They overwinter at different life stages

Depending on species, solitary bees spend winter as:

Eggs sealed inside brood cells
Prepupae with development paused before pupation
Pupae in the transformation stage between larva and adult
Fully formed adults that haven't yet emerged from their cells

Most undergo diapause at whichever stage is typical for their species. Environmental cues like decreasing day length and falling temperatures trigger the dormancy, which persists until spring conditions return.

They depend entirely on maternal provisions

Female solitary bees construct nests in summer, provision each cell with pollen and nectar, lay a single egg, and seal the cell. The developing bee survives winter on these stored provisions. The mother never meets her offspring, everything must be perfectly prepared during nest construction.

This dependency on precise provisioning makes solitary bee populations particularly vulnerable to habitat disruption and resource scarcity.

The Clear Answer

Bees do not hibernate in the mammalian sense.

Honey bees remain active and awake inside their hives, using collective heat generation and stored honey to survive as a functioning colony.

Bumblebee queens and most solitary bees survive through diapause, a specialized insect dormancy involving dramatic metabolic suppression and hormonal changes that protect them through winter.

They're not "sleeping." Their bodies are executing evolved, programmed survival strategies.

Understanding these differences explains winter bee ecology: honey bees may appear on warm winter days taking cleansing flights, while bumblebees and most solitary bees remain completely absent until true spring conditions arrive.

Frequently Asked Questions: Winter Survival for Vegas Bees

What is the difference between hibernation and torpor in bees?

Most people use the word "hibernation," but scientifically, many insects enter torpor or diapause.

Torpor is a temporary state of decreased physiological activity (like a deep nap) to save energy.
Diapause is a long-term state of suspended development (what bumblebee queens do).
Honey bees do neither. They remain fully awake and active as a colony, thermoregulating their hive all winter.

Do honey bees sleep in the winter?

No, honey bees do not sleep through the winter. The colony acts as a superorganism, staying awake 24/7 to generate heat. While individual bees may take short rest cycles, the colony never "powers down." They constantly vibrate their flight muscles to keep the cluster's core temperature between 90°F and 100°F, regardless of the freezing desert nights.

What is "chill coma" and when does it happen?

Chill coma is a dangerous state that occurs if an individual honey bee’s body temperature drops below roughly 50°F (10°C). At this point, she loses the ability to move her muscles. If she isn't warmed up by the cluster within a short window, she will die. This is why the winter cluster is a life-or-death mechanism.

Do Las Vegas bees face a higher risk of starvation in winter?

In colder climates, bees stay clustered and barely move, consuming very little honey. In the Mojave Desert, mild winter days (above 55°F) trick bees into breaking the cluster and flying out to forage.

Unlike cold climates where bees are locked in for months, Vegas bees have a unique winter. Because of the Rosemary bloom (December–April), Vegas honey bees often break cluster to forage. This makes them active year-round, which burns more energy and increases the risk of starvation if the bloom is weak.

Do queen bees stop laying eggs in a Las Vegas winter?

Not always. In snowy regions, queens stop laying completely to conserve resources. In Las Vegas, due to our heterothermic climate (warm days/cold nights), a queen may continue laying small patches of brood or restart laying as early as late December. Raising brood requires the hive to be kept at a toasty 93°F, consuming even more honey than a broodless colony.

What are "heater bees"?

"Heater bees" are workers specifically tasked with generating warmth. They disengage their wings from their flight muscles and vibrate their thorax rapidly, a process called shivering thermogenesis. This vibration generates heat without wing movement, turning their bodies into tiny biological furnaces to warm the queen and brood.

Why am I seeing dead bees in front of the hive in January?

This is actually a good sign of a hygienic colony! These are victims of natural winter die-off. When the temperature is warm enough to break the cluster, "undertaker bees" carry their deceased sisters out of the hive to prevent disease. If the dead bees were piling up inside, it would indicate the colony was too weak to clean house.

Do Africanized bees winter differently than European bees?

Since roughly 90% of feral bees in Las Vegas have Africanized genetics, this is a key question. Some say Africanized colonies may not store as much honey as European bees because they are evolved for tropical climates where resources are available year-round. This could make them more prone to starvation in our winter dearth, requiring monitoring of food stores. We rarely see this and it may hold some truth, but is situational in our opinion.

Is condensation a problem in the desert?

Yes. Even in the dry desert, condensation is a winter killer. When hot air from the bees hits the cold hive lid during a freezing desert night, it turns to water and can drip back down on the cluster, freezing them. Beekeepers must ensure hives have proper top ventilation or moisture quilts to let this humid air escape.

Should I feed my bees in winter?

In Las Vegas, "emergency feeding" is often unnecessary due to our warmer winters. If you lift the hive and it feels light, you must feed them. However, do not feed liquid syrup if temperatures are below 50°F, as they cannot dehydrate it properly. Instead, use sugar bricks or fondant, which provide carbohydrates without adding excess moisture to the hive.

Betsy & Pete

Vegas Bees

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About Us: The Authors

We’re Betsy and Pete - Beekeepers on a Mission in Las Vegas

We aren't just in the bee business; we’re in the bee-saving business. Trained by a master beekeeper and backed by years of successful rescues, we specialize in relocating honey bees with precision, safety, and care.

At our Joshua Tree Preserve in Arizona, we care for dozens of thriving hives. Some wild, some honey-bearing, and all are part of our commitment to ethical, sustainable beekeeping.

Why Vegas Bees? Because We Never Stop Learning or Caring

Beekeeping is always evolving, and so are we. We stay on the cutting edge by continuing our education, connecting with fellow beekeepers, and refining our beekeeping practices and techniques to ensure the best outcomes for both bees and people.

Whether it’s advanced bee removal strategies or the latest natural methods, we’re always one step ahead.

We’re also proud to support the beekeeping community with high-quality beekeeping supplies for everyone. If you’re ready to suit up and start your journey, we’ve got what you need.