> Sorry, can't find the thread, but Kirk stated that colonies that had 
> had the
> seal of the lid cracked did not winter well in his cold climate.  On 
> the
> other hand, many suggest that top ventilation, via some sort of 
> opening is
> critical.
I am located at a similar latitude as Kirk here in Montana. I find it
absolutely necessary to crack my lids in the winter. Actually, I am
already cracking them, because our night time lows are approaching the
low 40s, high 30s and condensation from so many bees and moisture from
any nectar floods the hives otherwise. If it is cold enough in the
mornings, you can actually see the stream of water vapor exhausting from
under the lids. In the winter, where -20 to -30F is common, this water
vapor stream freezes as it exits the hives, forming a pretty neat
crystaline structure, not unlike the cornices formed on the lee side of
snow covered mountain peaks. I also employ a thin walled empty shell
above the ocupied hive bodies. It serves as a condenser for the water
vapor, forming frost on the sides (rather than the top), and when the sun
comes out and heats it up, the frost melts running down the sides, rather
than raining down upon the bees. I originally stuffed the empty shell
with crumpled newspaper (to absorb the moisture) but found that letting
the frost form on the sides, and then run down as it melts, works out
much better. There is also one less activity, cleaning up all the paper
in the spring. On the bottom, I have screened BBs. I don't wrap any of
the hives, and I just place a block of wood in the cleanout slot to cut
down on wind blow through.....I don't restrict the front entrance either.
All in all, I find a constant, albeit small, convection current through
the hive throughout the winter keeps things dry, and is not unduely
stressful. My management philosophy as always been not to overly pamper
the bees, and select those that thrive to supply genetic material to
replace those that did not.
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