Thermal Images of Bee Hives in Winter

In winter, honey bees cluster together for warmth. They shiver their wing muscles to generate enough heat to keep the queen warm at the center of the colony — between 85° and 93°F (29° – 34°C)! The cluster remains active all winter, moving through the hive and eating stored honey.

These images were taken January 1, 2019, at Tulip Tree Honey (Huntington, Indiana) with a borrowed FLIR C3 thermal imaging camera.