Page 17 - ALG Issue 4 2021

Where do some of my favourite pollinators go in winter?
With autumn, you will have noticed a decline in bee sightings, and that those you do see are starting to become slower in their movements. Bees will behave differently depending on the species – but what generally happens to them when winter comes?
When it’s too cold, honeybees will congregate in their hives to keep warm, huddling around the queen. On warmer winter days there is a chance you could see a honeybee seeking fresh nectar; otherwise, they subsist on their honey stores. Unfortunately, a proportion of honeybees do not survive wintertime.
Here is a tip to help honeybees through the winter: Plant winter-flowering bulbs such as winter aconites, snowdrops and crocus.
A lot of adult solitary bees die off before winter, leaving their eggs behind to hatch in the spring. Some species do
overwinter however, such as those that grow from eggs into larvae or young adults.
A tip to help solitary bees through the winter: Avoid digging until early spring, especially where you may notice solitary bees nesting.
As for bumblebees, winter is a time
for queens to go into hibernation. Old queens, workers and males die off, as this marks the end of their lifecycle. The queens hibernate by digging down into the earth – usually under stones and wood. In warmer southern parts of the UK however, it is normal for some species to be seen working throughout the winter.
A tip to help bumblebees through the winter: Create leaf or log piles, or a rockery for hibernating bees to use for shelter and to burrow under.
In warmer southern parts of the UK however, it is normal for some species to be seen working throughout the winter
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