Do bees stay in their hives in the winter? This will depend on where you stay. In the colder parts of the world, yes, in the warmer parts of the world, no.
There are parts of the world where for a couple of months of the year, bees will not be able to leave the hive due to temperatures being so cold that the ecosystem is essentially frozen.
In moderately cold regions where there can be a few days in any month when it is not freezing and the bees can get out and about and do a little bit of pollen gathering and clean up the hive.
In these regions, bees can fly year-round. This means that if something is flowering, they will be able to collect a bit of nectar in order to keep the hives going in winter.
To many people, this sounds like a simple easy situation for the bees. Basically, they can get a few hours of foraging in in even the coldest days in winter.
How Do Bees Get Through The Winter In Places Where Bees Can Work In Summer and Winter?
In these regions, it is also important to prepare your bees for winter, although wrapping the hives may be less important. Making sure that hive weights are correct to have enough stores, and installing candy boards is important.