> Only two hives survived. These were the only ones that were close each
> others. They had formed a common igloo.

Thanks for that.  I've always wondered about suffocation losses, and, since
we sometimes do not visit remote yards that are snowed in until the snow
melts, we really don't always know what happens during the winter.  Usually,
our hives are not completely buried, but some winters we get more snow or
drifting, and hives get buried.

As it happens, most commercial beekeepers over here keep four hives on each
pallet.  The hives are separated by only about 3 inches, and many of us wrap
all four hives with one big wrap, so maybe that larger volume 'igloo',
together with the added heat generation of the adjacent clusters combines to
protect them a bit better from suffocation.  Nonetheless, occasionally,
almost entire yards are found dead in spring, with no explanation.  Of
course, there are many possible reasons, including bad bees, pesticides,
etc., but in some cases, perhaps suffocation should not be ruled out.

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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