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Bee's, Honeybee's are a different animal than a wasp, yellowjacket. Yellowjackets,wasp's, are meat eaters. They eat other insects. Honeybee's survive on pollen and nectar. You can winter over honeybee's. They ball up in the hive and go into a state of sleep or slow metabolism. They rotate from the inside out in the ball so everyone gets to be in the middle, where it is warmer. They do eat small amounts during the winter. They will also be wiped out by a hard winter even in ideal shelter. You need to leave enough honey in the hive for them to eat to survive the winter when you harvest it. In the spring they need to be fed sugar water to keep them going until things start flowering. A lot of NE beekeepers just order new bees every spring, thru the mail, and don't bother to try to keep alive all winter. I was under the impresssion yellowjackets, wasp's, do also do this but usually die during the winter from lack of food and a warm spot, unless it is a mild winter. They probably became active because they had a good hiding spot and survived so far and the warm day tricked them into thinking the winter was over. Not unusual to see some stumbling around in the fall after a cold spell. They look like they are drunk, very lethargic. Probably more than you wanted to know. I know about the honeybee, a truly remarkable and essential creature, but am no expert on the yellowjacket, wasp but think most die each winter. P.
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