>>>Usually only beekeepers in the far north winter their hive in buildings.

We are one of them. When husband got into bees his decision was to house
them in a beehouse. There isn't really any need for it from the bees point
of view. But it is convenient for the beekeeper for a number of reasons. We
move the hives into the beehouse (more or less just a shed) for the winter
and come spring move the hives to outside locations. The beehouse for us
just means that the hive bodies are out of the weather, under cover, there
is electricity in the shed, and also we are now putting the hives on boxes
where we can have a lightbulb burning underneath which helps some in
keeping them through the winter (we have a big moisture problem due to the
weather's fluctuations). A beehouse helps the beekeeper, not necessarily
the bees.

>>>I cannot imagine any advantage of moving bees indoors anywhere in
Kentucky, or for that matter much farther north than that.

I had to laugh at that comment. Advantages for example are ... snowing like
crazy, it's dark, -25 or -30 celsius, northeast wind howling, and there
treks hubby out through the shoulderdeep snow (kinda that deep, it sure
seems that deep) and checking if the bees are still there. Not that he can
do much if they are in trouble, he wouldn't be able to open them up and
correct a problem at that time. But he's thankful the hives are in the
beehouse, it's not a fancy one, just some shed he calls "the beehouse". So
he steps up and stands behind the hives (we went into last winter with four
hives), puts on the electric light (beats holding a flashlight with your
teeth), knocks a bit on the hives and judges by the quick uproar - yep,
still ok, still kicking, seem fine, or even uuh ohh what's going on now.

Then he lifts the lids and checks on the glasses with syrup, gives another
if one is empty, turns the lids around if there was condensation
underneath, and if all seems well, turns off the light and treks back to
the house back through the deep winter. It certainly makes the beehouse
seem like an oasis of peace when just a few feet the snow is deep, still
falling, wind blows, it's dark and gruelling, but he knows that shed he so
fanciful calls a beehouse gives off just that extra iddy bit of protection
that might make the difference in his bees survival for another looong
winter.

It's much hard work moving the bees back to the beehouse for the winter,
and I dread doing that work shortly. But I assure everyone, it's worth
every bit of the work come winter. Just to know that with that they might
have a better chance of survival.

And as you all know, there is almost nothing more beautiful when suddenly
come spring, one is out there cleaning up a bit on top of the still frozen
ground, doing the first of the spring work in the first real warm rays of
the new season - hey, what's that? That's different. What IS that? And THEN
you realize - THE BEES ARE OUT! The bees are flying. And you know that all
that hard and seemingly endless work with them through the winter has paid
off. Because they are flying again. What can be more beautiful at that
particular moment.

                Ma. / Nass Valley - British Columbia CANADA