"They must get very tired wings," Henry said sadly, knowing how much his paws hurt after walking only a short distance."
"During the warmer months," resumed Richard, "they build up their stores of both honey and pollen. Some of the honey we eat of course but whatever is left stays in the hive. So, when they retreat to the warmth of the hive around the end of October, honey bees keep themselves full and happy by living off the stores they've built up."
"They don't migrate to find warmer weather like birds do. They rarely leave their hives in Winter at all. But they also don't make any honey then either. Instead they cluster together to keep warm as they really hate cold, damp conditions - a bit like us teddy bears! A cluster is like one giant bee hug, made up of worker bees, all flapping their wings and moving in and out to create and conserve heat. The queen bee is generally found at the centre of this cluster. Despite the tough conditions in the cooler months though, honey bees actually live longer during the Winter due to the fact they're safe and secure in their hive and using less energy than they would whilst foraging in the Summer."
