De Witt a écrit:

> Have you had any problems in wintering over? I.e. hive gets too cold? I was
> going to try to make one using PVC water pipe but was talked out of it for
> this problem.

In winter in Paris temperature usually drops to -5 °C during a week or two.
The hives could certainly stand lower temperatures.
The diameter of the tubes must be the frame spacing less the gap between them.
This gap must be as large as possible but bees must not be able to go through.
With a frame spacing of 37.5 mm and a gap of 3.5 mm, the tubes diameter must
be 34 mm. I doubt that you find PVC water pipes with this diameter.

> It seems to make sence as the only feral hive I know of is hung under a
> branch and the mites just fall out of the hive.

Last year, I was called to remove bees from a poplar in a garden near La
Défense. I noticed that the bees had many holes to get in and out but none of
them were in the bottom. It was empty under the combs and, in the bottom,
there were plenty of waste, but bees never went there. And it was impossible
to fallen varroa mites to climb back to the colony.
Best regards.
Jean-Pierre LE PABIC
RUEIL-MALMAISON (10 km from Paris)
FRANCE