The Beeze Won't Freeze

You never know when winter is going to hit, so you have to prepare, usually sooner than you think you do.  This year we have gotten some colder than normal weather, earlier than normal.  The list of what didn't get done in time is too long to share, but one important item did get accomplished...winterizing the bees.
Honey bees are cold blooded and reflect the ambient air temperature.  If they freeze, they would die, so, to live through a long cold winter they need a source of heat. One big benefit is the fact that bees are furry. That fur provides a dead air space that insulates them. And when two bees get close together they have more dead air space and if  5000 bees cluster together they can all stay a bit warmer for even longer, using all that fuzz as an insulator to keep warm air in. So, for starters the bees all cluster together in the middle of the hive.  But that only works until there's no more warm air to hold. When there is no more warm air to hold in, the bees have to start making their own heat.  The bees on the inside of that cluster vibrate their wing muscles and  they warm up. And that warmth is moved up, down and sideways throughout the  cluster and keeps all the bees warm. To help keep that warmth in the hive, Don did a little energy efficiency and installed some insulation and a wind-proof wrap to their hives.  So now they are all tucked in, left to eat their honey, vibrate their wings, and hopefully keep warm and healthy.