As the temperature outside drops below 50 degrees bees stop flying and
gather in the hive forming a cluster. This cluster of bees keeps warm
by shivering. The queen is in the center where the temperature is
about 80 degrees. The workers bees rotate from the outside (48
degrees) of the cluster in to keep any bees from getting to cold for
to long. The colder it gets the tighter the cluster becomes.

Bees can starve with food just inches away if it gets to cold out, but
here in the south that usually wouldn't happen. The shivering uses a
lot of stores and they could run short if the winter was long and
cold.

I tucked the hives in for the winter today to help keep the
cluster loose and reserve stores. I put a bee cozy on the hive. It's
a black insulated well, cozy.

Last years post on moisture and winter