> Hi there overseas!
 
Paivaa Kanadasta
 
> I'd like to have some explanation about wrapping and unwrapping:
> Do you really wrap your hives totally for overwintering so that the
> bees don't get out at all untill there are some flowers around or
> what? I couldn't figure this out from the discussion.
 
We have black plastic blankets that are well insulated (R5 to R10) that
cover the hives - with only a 5 cm2 breather hole at the top front and a
reduced entrance at the bottom. The bees can fly, but temperature changes
are moderated by the insulation.
 
Our temperatures reach minus 45 Celcius for a week or more at a
time and the winds can go up to 80 KPH - or more - during that time.
 
Some winters are mild and no wrapping is necessary, but during the bad
winters all bees can be lost if they are not wrapped.  We do not know
ahead of time what kind of winter it will be.
 
Allen