Scot Mc Pherson wrote:

>No its really different in a tree. A tree is a harsher place to live than our
>beehives.
>
I've never seen or done a study, so I won't try to dispute that.

>Wrapping hives is like putting the bees in the dark. When we wrap our beehives
>we are preventing the sun from shining directly on them.
>
I don't understand this. The sun doesn't shine on the bees themselves,
anyway.

>Sure it may help
>insulate radiant heat, but that goes both ways. Preventing them from having a
>few hours of thermal relief. Bees can survive REALLY COLD weather, so long as
>they don't have to endure the cold for so long. When you find bees that died
>in cluster from starvation with plentiful stores at the edge of the cluster,
>you can bet its because they couldn't get warm during the day. I believe the
>bees need this thermal relief so they can adjust the cluster to what's needed
>for the next evening(s). It also saves on winter stores if they don't have to
>consume as much to stay warm for while.
>
I don't understand how wrapping, which would in theory, increase the
temperature, prevent them from getting "warm during the day." Just the
opposite, since the black wrap would increase temps a bit. Maybe I'm
misunderstanding what you mean by "thermal relief."

As for ventilation etc, the two aren't mutually exclusive. The wrap goes
around the two hive bodies, but doesn't close ventilation at the top or
the bottom. And in my case, they have screened bottom boards.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::