Subject: Winterizing colonies

From: [email-masked] (MarkVam)
Date: 8 Dec 1994 14:40:02 -0500

I'm a hobbyist, new to the art, with one colony in upstate New York. I'm
interested in advice about how best to prepare the colony for our
often-brutal winters. Should I wrap, and if so, how and with what? Should
I drill a ventilation hole in the top super? Please reply here or e-mail
me directly at [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Michael Moroney)
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 04:09:30 GMT

> me directly at [email-masked]

Your hive should consist of 2 hive bodies full of honey and bees.  It's
probably too late to feed them if this is not the case.  You should have the
entrance reducer set to the smallest setting.  You should have an upper hole
of some sort.  Some inner covers are designed so that you get the upper
hole if you remove a cutout and put it on upside-down, so you don't have to
drill hive bodies.

As to wrapping, there is some debate on this issue.  If the wrapping holds
moisture in, it'll do more harm than good.  Tar paper such as what's used under
roofing is what's traditionally used, but it holds moisture in.  I've heard
of Tyvek (house wrap) being used as it keeps wind out but lets moisture
through.  (hey if it works for people's houses why not bee's houses? :-) )
I'm not an expert though.  My 2 hives did survive last year's nasty
winter without any wrapping.

Be sure any wrapping doesn't block the upper hole, staple the wrap to the
whole area and poke a hole through it.

-Mike

---

From: [email-masked] (Mike Killoran)
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 94 13:37:15 -0500

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Michael Moroney) writes:

>  You should have the entrance reducer set to the smallest setting.

A hint here is to have the opening pointing up.  That is, make it 
a 'U' as opposed to a 'n'.  This way, if there are a pile of dead 
bees over the winter, they're less likely to block the door.

>   You should have an upper hole

What I did was to flip over the inner cover (so the extra space is _in_ 
the hive), and then made a one inch cut out in the edge of the cover.
This acts as an upper hole and doesn't require drilling the hive body.
During the season I swap upper and lower hive bodies (the upper tends
to get used and the bottom left empty) and I didn't want to have to
worry about where the hole was.

Another thing that I'm going to try is to put some crinkled up newspaper
between the inner and outer cover.  This will act as a sponge for the 
moisture coming up through the inner cover hole (the oval one).

	-Mike Killoran
--
Mike Killoran                            Zen says:
[email-masked]                  Cease to do evil,
(617) 981-2667 (Lexington, MA USA)    Try to do good.

---

From: [email-masked] (Joseph Cooper)
Date: 16 Dec 1994 01:41:58 GMT

Mike Killoran ([email-masked]) wrote:
: In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Michael Moroney) writes:

: >  You should have the entrance reducer set to the smallest setting.

: A hint here is to have the opening pointing up.  That is, make it 
: a 'U' as opposed to a 'n'.  This way, if there are a pile of dead 
: bees over the winter, they're less likely to block the door.

: >   You should have an upper hole
: >   of some sort.  Some inner covers are designed so that you get the upper
: >   hole if you remove a cutout and put it on upside-down, so you don't have to
: >   drill hive bodies.

: What I did was to flip over the inner cover (so the extra space is _in_ 
: the hive), and then made a one inch cut out in the edge of the cover.
: This acts as an upper hole and doesn't require drilling the hive body.
: During the season I swap upper and lower hive bodies (the upper tends
: to get used and the bottom left empty) and I didn't want to have to
: worry about where the hole was.

: Another thing that I'm going to try is to put some crinkled up newspaper
: between the inner and outer cover.  This will act as a sponge for the 
: moisture coming up through the inner cover hole (the oval one).

: 	-Mike Killoran
: --
: Mike Killoran                            Zen says:
: [email-masked]                  Cease to do evil,
: (617) 981-2667 (Lexington, MA USA)    Try to do good.

Many beekeepers, myself included, believe that adequate ventilation is 
most important in carrying bees through the winter.  This is because 
water is produced as the bees metabolize honey; the hive's heat causes 
the moisture to rise; the moisture condenses and is likely to freeze on 
the inner cover and the lid;  on warm, sunny days, the frozen water melts 
and rains into the hive.  That is not good.

My own practice is to provide at least one 1-inch diameter hole in the 
top most super.  Much more importantly, I use spacers to provide a 
3/8-inch gap between the front of inner cover and the top of the 
uppermost super. Way back yonder in time, I used bits of twigs to prop up 
the front of the inner cover.  Later, I used shim stock that was 3/8-inch 
thick at the front and tapered to nothing at the back.  I now build that 
taper into the inner covers when I make them.  

Be sure to put the lid over the inner cover in a manner that does not 
block the ventilating gap.

In our habitat--40 degrees north latitude, USDA hardiness zone 5B--I have 
never had a colony perish from the cold.  
 
Good luck
--
*************************     
*     Joseph Cooper     *      
*  [email-masked]  *
*************************