I have used Mann lakes migratory treated covers for about 5 years now with
great success and very little frame "holding".

Thinking of warm and cold way, I have often fussed about my hive layout.
Since my hives are stationary I want them looking nice in my yard and
easily protected by simple bear fence, thus a straight line is used.

However since pallets rott quickly I now have to do something like cinder
blocks for my 26 hives before winter sets in as some are worse than the
tower of piza...

Anyway, alot of space is wasted with the way we langstroth Americans have
the entrance facing the "cold way". I need space to work from the side as I
find it easier from twisting from the backside. If  I had made my bottom
boards open from the side thus having the entrance the warm way, I could
easily work from the back properly without twisting my upper back and place
the hives closer together thus saving room and grass to cut inside the
fence.

Maybe when my bottom boards rott in 20 years or so I will fix this... BTW I
run screen bottoms and leave them open all winter in central Va USA and
have seen no difference when comparing them to closing the screen or
running solid bottoms, but our winters are mild compared to most...

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