Karen:

>I have a hard time with the thought of a mesh floor here in the winter when 
>it can be well below zero many days in a row.

We have had the worst winter in the UK for about 30 years and it is not over 
yet (-6C two nights ago).  Bitterly cold since mid December with virtually 
no flying before the end of February - and even then we only had a couple of 
days when it briefly reached 8C.  We were away on holiday from 20 January to 
18 March and returned to find that the max and min while we were away were 
4C and -8C.  Although there has not been that much snow here, it has been 
extremely wet with many out-apiaries difficult to reach even in the Land 
Rover so, with colonies raised on blocks or on stands, the OMFs have been 
open to cold winds and plenty of damp air.
Despite that, they seem to be surviving well - although I will not count 
losses until probably early May.  I normally reckon that the flowering of 
the oilseed rape is a good time to count, but everything is a good month 
behind compared with recent years and much of the rape is in pretty poor 
condition - the pigeons have hammered it badly this year.  Queen bumblebees 
were a month late making their first appearance.
No problem with your snow - stops the wind and provides insulation! 
Overwintered crops always look better when they have been covered by snow, 
rather than exposed to biting dry winds.

Best wishes



Peter Edwards

Stratford-upon-Avon

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