Where do bees go in the winter?

Bumble bees survive winter through physical adaptations like thicker hair and the ability to shiver, as well as chemical protections such as glycol, which prevents their tissues from freezing. Queens overwinter in underground burrows, though climate warming can threaten their survival by causing them to wake too frequently and starve.

• Bumble bees evolved specific physical traits to survive global cooling, including larger bodies and thicker hair for warmth preservation, and the ability to shiver by unhinging wings from flight muscles to regulate body temperature.
• To survive winter, bumble bee queens (gynes) dig holes in north-facing slopes, often near tree roots, and create a wax cup filled with nectar for sustenance.
• Bumble bees utilize a substance called glycol as an anti-freeze to prevent their hemolymph from forming ice crystals that would otherwise destroy bodily tissues during periods of torpor.
• Climate change poses a risk to overwintering bumble bees because erratic warming can cause them to wake too often, leading to starvation before spring flowers bloom.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Where do bees go in the winter? https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/where-do-bees-go-in-the-winter/

Chicago

WWF International. Where do bees go in the winter? n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/where-do-bees-go-in-the-winter/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Where do bees go in the winter? |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/where-do-bees-go-in-the-winter/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndwhere, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Where do bees go in the winter?}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/where-do-bees-go-in-the-winter/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }