> We are wrapping little heat generators, the insulation conserves the heat
> loss.  So, on a warmer day, less heat is lost and the colony maintains
> thier cluster temperature with less effort.
 I am not talking about warmer days, I am talking COLD days when the sun
shines. The sun shines directly on the hives and the heat travels through the
wood and keeps the interior warm for a few hours for every day the sun
shines. When you wrap the hives you are putting the the hives in the dark.
Warm spells occur a LOT LESS frequently and less regularly. Bees can endure
serious cold so long as its not very prolonged. When you wrap the hives, you
are preventing the sun from shining on the hive bodies. Preventing the almost
daily relief from frigid stress.


> Perhaps if the colonies were dead, the empty hive body would stay cooler
> during temperature increases. Sort of like a cooler effect.
> Last winter we endured 2 solid weeks below 30 degreesC.

A cooler is a poor example. A cooler isn't ventilated, it is sealed. But using
your example, what you are creating is a situation where your bees must
continue to work to stay warm. Given the sunshine on their hives, the bees
have the chance to take a break from being heaters.

> And 2 weeks on
> either side were below 25 degreesC.(AS DAY TIME HIGHS)  The wrap and the
> snow cover settled my nerves a bit... Almost send a beekeeper to wintering
> indoors,

Snow is a good insulator. So long as the hives are top ventilated and above
the snow, the snow provides a windbreak, BUT importantly it does not stop the
sun. The sun continues to shine on the hive bodies through the snow. Further
the snow diffuses the light, so the sun isn't just shining directly on one
side, but more evenly and with greater effect around the whole hive through
the whole day. Snow is great, wrapping is not.

--
Scot Mc Pherson
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http://linuxfromscratch.org/~scot
http://beewiki.linuxfromscratch.org
AIM: ScotLFS ICQ: 342949 MSN:[log in to unmask]

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