There are some VERY nice folks in Kenyon, MN who started 2 colonies from packages in 2025 on their farm. I have been helping them get started in beekeeping, and it has been a lot of fun.
The big news is that they both made it thru the winter and are growing fast this spring. So, we plan to split them in May. Good going team!
This is exactly what you want to see when you take your infra-red camera to a bee yard in January in Minnesota. The camera shows the temperature gradient. The "glowing" is heat from the wintering honey bees, keeping the queen very cozy inside the hive. No, bees do not hibernate, but they do cluster tightly around their queen and keep warm as a group by "shivering" their flight muscles. Much like Emperor Penguins, individuals take turns migrating to the outside of the cluster.
