Hi!
I'm not as experienced as some of the other bee keepers on the list, but I've had experience with bringing my hives into the basement of my house.  I winter in single brood chambers, which I think would be easier for someone like you, to get to the cluster, to get a bee. First you want to pick a spot in your basement where the bees are keep in total darkness, or they will come out of their hive and become lost.( no sun to help them navigate back home.)  You can use a red light bulb for your light as my experience, the bees can't see that light and won't come out of their hive.  I also keep the temperature around 35 to 40 degrees F.  I found that the bees don't use as much food at that temp, because they don't have to create as much heat for themselves. At that temp they stay semi dormant. I also supply them with sugar water 3 sugar/ 1 water with T myosin and Fumiasin just in case they become short on food. I found that my hives will have a greater build up in the spring and I think it is because my queens start to lay earlier than they would if left outside. I live in the Ottawa Valley here in Ontario were we have pretty cold weather and lots of snow and freezing rain. I have 25 hives.
 
Debbie     
 
-----Original Message-----
From:   [log in to unmask] [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Saturday, October 25, 1997 12:13 AM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Ways to keep bees over winter in cold climate
 
I am a novice beekeeper using bees for apitherapy for my wife with M.S.
I would like to have bees available during the winter months for this
purpose and am asking for any advice on the best method to accomplish this.
We live in Vermont, so the winter will be fairly long with temps reaching
-20 F. The alternatives that I have come up with so far are:
        1) Prepare the hive for winter and open it periodically when
           the weather cooperative.
        2) Place the hive outside adjacent to the house, with a tunnel
           thru a wall to allow the bees to be collected indoors.
        3) Place the hive inside the house, with a tunnel thru a wall
           for the bees to get out of the hive when needed.
The first alternative seems a little risky, in that the colony would be
exposed to a fair amount of cold over the winter. The issue with the
third is whether this disrupts any natural cycle by remaining fairly warm
during the winter.
As I said these are just the thoughts of someone with very limited experience
so I would appreciate any suggestions, comments, or ideas. Thanks in
advance for any help you might have. Bob Noble ([log in to unmask])