I'm sure covering is best, and because of that belief, in the 3 such hives
that I have made for a local children's museum, I made covers to be put on
when the museum was closed. They were put on religiously for about a week,
and never again thereafter. The lights are turned off after about 6 pm,
though. I have seen no evidence that the bees really cared. No absconding
so far. Sometimes there are too many bees, other times too few. Wintering
over is a chore, but I don't attribute any of those problems to the lack of
covers.
Guy F. Miller "Start every day with a smile, and get it over with."
Charlottesville. VA W.C. Fields