On the question of solar energy:

Many beekeepers do wrap their hives with tar paper or black plastic, partially
to cut any draughts that might get through cracks in the hives, and also to give
the hives a little warmth on sunny days to facilitate the movement of bees in
the hive.

One very successful beekeeper I know wraps his bees side by side in pairs with
insulation on the back and sides only.  He has black plastic around the whole of
the two hives to protect the insulation, and joins it on the uninsulated south
side where each hibe has an auger hole for venting and flight.

The black draws warmth and the bees get active on sunny days, distributing feed
in the hive and leaving the hive if necessary.  He has a black plastic hive
filled with R12 insulation on top of his frames under the normal telescoping
lid.  Several sticks across the frames loft the bag enough to allow ther bees to
wander around under the bag.

allen
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