Did you know that nectar can dry up during the summer, too? Known as “dearth periods,” the absence of ready food sources during months when bees are able to work outside the hive can prove deadly.
Many species of bees only live through the winter in their larval stage—that is, as babies, in the nest that their mother has made for them, whether that’s a hole in the ground or in a tree branch. Bumblebee queens make a nest for themselves and spend the winter there. But what do honey bees do when they get cold? The short answer is surprisingly human: they shiver.