Fall

The day length regulates the behavior of the queen. As the days get shorter the queen ceases to lay eggs and the last brood hatches as winter bees. In comparison to the other honeybee subspecies the brown bee queens stops laying eggs earlier in the season. When the temperature drops to about under 10°C the bees start to form the winter cluster; at the beginning they will still continue feeding if it is not under 5°C.

• In Finland, the broodless tight winter cluster usually appears in the first half of October.