> I always let queenright colonies take their chance in winter and have frequently been surprised
Well, I see that the temperature where you are is currently 50 F (10 C) whereas here it is currently 4 F (-15 C). We often have several weeks go by where the temperature stays below freezing.
I had one colony which consistently had three times as many bees as any other colony and produced about 3 times as much honey as the average. That one had two Langstroth boxes wall to wall bees in fall, plus a medium super. Currently there are no bees in the hive, gone. I won't be breeding from that one. (PS, they didn't starve)
PLB
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