Gee what do bees do in the south where it’s relatively warm all year around. Guess they must all be old bees down there.
Here in southern Arizona all the bees I see are gray-headed and fly with canes.
If there is no pollen and not nectar, they will cluster and consume stored honey at a higher rate than spring & summer bees. A spring or summer bee lives around four to five weeks, while fall-winter bees live around four to six months.
If you are a bee, foraging is an extremely hazardous occupation.
Those are probably ‘Retired Bees’ that you’re seeing down there, LOL!
I will admit that I have fewer bees than I used to, but they have tons to eat around here between what Nature provides for them and all the flowers I grow for them.
I see more Bumble Bees now than anything, but SOMEONE is pollinating my garden because production has gone UP through the years. *SHRUG*
I do what I can. I’m not really ‘in charge’ of anything in the long run. ;)