>
>Bee clusters don't radiate enough heat to even warm the
>interior of their hive, so there is not going to be much
>"igloo effect" if the hive is buried.



Actually, they do. Some years my hives are totally buried by snow. So deep
you need a long handled shovel, handle first, to find them. If you dig the
hives out of the snow you'll see what I mean. There is a chamber formed
around the hive, where there is no snow. Did it melt? I would think so.
And, around dead hives? The snow is packed in tight around the hive. Dig
out the front of  a row of beehives when the snow is deep like this, and
you can tell which are dead or alive, by the "igloos," or lack of, around them.

Mike