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The Buzz of Spring: What’s Happening in the Honeybee Hive?

As the first signs of spring emerge—buds on trees, warmer days, and blooming flowers—the honeybee hive is buzzing with activity. For these incredible creatures, spring is not just a time of renewal in the natural world; it's a critical season for building up their colony, gathering resources, and preparing for the summer months ahead. But what exactly happens inside the hive during this vibrant season? Let’s take a closer look at the hive’s inner workings as the days grow longer and the temperatures rise.


1. The Queen Takes Center Stage

At the heart of the hive, the queen bee is the focal point of the colony’s growth. In early spring, the queen becomes incredibly busy. During the winter months, the hive’s activity slowed down, and egg-laying almost came to a halt. But with the arrival of spring’s warmth, the queen resumes laying eggs at full capacity.

In a healthy hive, the queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day! This rapid increase in egg production is essential for rebuilding the colony's population after the lean winter months. The worker bees diligently care for the eggs and larvae, feeding them royal jelly (for future queens) or a mixture of nectar and pollen (for worker bees) to ensure their healthy development.


2. The Workers Get to Work

Worker bees are the backbone of the hive, and spring is when they truly come into their own. Their primary duties include foraging for nectar and pollen, tending to the queen and brood (developing bees), cleaning the hive, and defending the colony from threats.

As flowers begin to bloom, the worker bees venture outside the hive, often for the first time after a long winter. They are equipped with a highly specialized “tongue” (proboscis) to gather nectar, which they store in their stomachs (or "honey stomachs") to bring back to the hive. Pollen is also collected, which is essential for feeding developing larvae. Bees are efficient pollinators, and their work helps fertilize the plants and flowers that they rely on for food.

As the days warm, the workers begin to build up the hive’s stores of honey. They do this by turning the nectar they collect into honey, which will serve as food for the colony throughout the year, especially during leaner times like late fall and winter.



A drone is born - in a few days, he'll be mature enough for a mating flight.

3. The Hive Grows in Size

As spring progresses and the colony grows, space inside the hive becomes more and more precious. The worker bees add new wax to build combs, expanding the hive to accommodate the developing brood. These wax combs are carefully built in hexagonal cells, each of which will hold a developing bee, nectar, pollen, bee bread (a mix of pollen and fermented nectar used to feed the brood), or honey.

It’s not just the worker bees that are growing in numbers—the drone population (male bees) also starts to increase. (This will be the subject of a blog post in the future!) Drones have one main purpose: mating with the queen. Spring marks the start of mating season, when drones are most active. They have one job, and one job only: to mate with a virgin queen from another nearby colony.


4. Swarming Season Begins

As the hive reaches its peak population, something extraordinary happens: the bees may decide to swarm. Swarming is a natural process where a large portion of the hive—including the old queen—leaves to form a new colony. The swarm usually takes place in late spring, when the hive has become overcrowded and resources are plentiful. This process ensures the survival of the species by creating new hives. Although it can be a little unsettling for anyone who encounters a large cluster of bees, the swarm is usually quite docile and defenseless and can be rehomed by a beekeeper.

Before swarming, the bees begin preparations. Worker bees feed the queen in anticipation of her departure, and the colony starts to make a new queen by feeding certain larvae special amounts of royal jelly. The new queen will eventually take over in the original hive, while the old queen leads the swarm to find a new home. Learn more from this blog post, "Swarms: Enjoy the show!" – https://www.annabeeshoney.com/post/swarms-enjoy-the-show


5. The Cycle Continues

Spring is a time of rejuvenation for the hive, where the hard work of the bees sets the stage for the rest of the year. The colony continues to grow, thrive, and produce honey well into the summer. By the time the warm weather reaches its peak, the bees will have established their stores of honey, their numbers will have peaked, and the cycle of life within the hive will continue.

As the months pass and the bees prepare for the slower, colder months of fall and winter, the hive will settle into a more stable routine. But for now, spring is a season of incredible activity and growth, both inside and outside the hive. For the bees, it’s all about preparation: for the new generation of bees, for gathering food, and for securing the hive’s future.

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