Jerry B wrote:

4) Close the entrances down - that's a must.  I've wintered with and
without wraps, with and with wind shields, small and large colonies, and
it's really the small bottom entrance that's most important - although I do
tend to check to be sure that a pile of dead bees isn't closing it off - if
I were to re-engineer the boxes, I'd want a bottom entrance an inch or two
above the bottom board.


J
​erry, could you specify how much you close them​? What size opening do you
leave?

As a supplementary, do you put any screen mesh/mouse guard over the lower
remaining opening?  This can affect ventilation due to the dead bees
building up, as you mention.

​Another effect I have observed that may to some extent regulate heat loss
via a top entrance is the formation of hoar frost in that entrance.​  The
colder it gets, the thicker the hoar frost.  This chokes off the entrance
which will slow down convective heat loss.  This only really kicks in
during the coldest weather (below 0F/-18C).   It's probably of minor
significance but during inspections it confirms there are live bees in the
hive.

Rob

Upper Kingclear NB

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