The wasp nests are generally small with open comb while the hornet nests are shaped like an inverted teardrop enclosing the comb. These nests can be in a cavity above or below ground or in the open on a branch. Bumble bees, Carpenter bees, and the solitary bees are very varied in their nesting sites and habits. Only the honeybee colony winters over. The others die off with cold weather and leave only pupas or fertilized queens wintering in the ground or under a piece of bark to continue the species the next year.
Honeybees winter over by heating the colony.
The bees cluster and the bees on the inside eat honey, put their wings in neutral, and vibrate their wing muscles. This heats the center of the cluster while the other bees provide insulation by packing together for several layers. The bees continually rotate position and duties to maintain the colony. The center of the colony is maintained at over 90 degrees F when brood is being raised even in the middle of winter. Honeybees produce more colonies in spring or early summer by a process called swarming where the old queen leaves the old colony with several thousand workers to start a new colony at a new location.