A Beekeeper's Journal: The 40-Day Sleep and the "Winter Cluster"

 If you visit our apiary in Gokseong right now, you will notice something strange. The buzzing sound is gone. A heavy silence has settled over the farm.

Winter has officially arrived in Korea.

Today, I want to share the current status of our hives as they enter their critical survival mode, and the specific challenges we face this year.

1. The Signs of Winter (Preparation)

It started with the morning frost. When we saw the ground turning white like this, we knew it was time to act.

Unlike some beekeepers who use electric heating systems to keep the bees active or shorten the wintering period, our apiary follows the natural rhythm of the seasons.

From early December to around January 15th—for about 40 days—our bees go into deep wintering.

Before closing the doors, we had to make some tough decisions. We inspected every hive. Colonies that were weakened by robbing (Do-bong) or had low populations were removed or merged. It is sad, but in beekeeping, consolidation is survival.

2. The "Winter Cluster" (Bong-gu)

This is how our apiary looks now. The hives are wrapped, insulated, and secured. Inside these boxes, a biological miracle is happening.

We call it "Bong-gu", or the Winter Cluster.

Since bees don't hibernate, they gather in a tight ball to generate heat. The outer bees shiver to create warmth, protecting the queen at the center.

Our region is in the southern part of Korea. We don't get the extreme -20°C (-4°F) temperatures seen in Canada or parts of the US. However, we do occasionally drop below -15°C (5°F), so we add extra insulation boards to weaker colonies to help them maintain that critical cluster.

3. The Real Enemy: Climate Change & Starvation

You might think the cold is the biggest enemy, as seen in this frozen puddle near the hives. But the real danger is instability.

Due to climate change/global warming, Korean winters are becoming unpredictable. If the weather suddenly turns warm, the bees might loosen their cluster (Bong-gu). If a cold snap hits immediately after, they can't reform the cluster fast enough and freeze to death. This "flash freeze" is a growing fear for us.

Another danger is "Starvation amidst Plenty." Even if a hive is full of honey, bees can starve to death. If the honey stores are just a few inches away from the cluster, but the weather is too cold for the cluster to move, they cannot reach the food.

4. Waiting for January 15th

So now, the long wait begins.

Inside those wrapped boxes, our bees are slowly moving, eating honey little by little, and generating heat to stay alive.

For the next 40 days, our job is not to open the hives, but to trust them. We will see you again in mid-January, when the first "Spring Awakening" begins.

Sleep tight, little ones.