> Wrapping tends to keep the temperature more stable over the long run > in warmer winters. Do not eat as much so will last longer on the > stores available. In my experience, most strong, healthy hives will usually survive just fine without wraps. Most years. Maybe 9 out of 10 hives, and 8 out of 10 years. Feeling lucky? HOWEVER, in areas with cold winters like ours, proper wrapping can reduce feed consumption, make the difference between life and death for smaller or weaker hives (we don't always know in the fall, which ones will need some help), ensure better condition in spring -- even for strong hives, and reduce stress on the bees in early spring. We seldom see any nosema (and we do look). IMO, the major benefit from wrapping ofen comes at a time when some eager beekeepers have already unwrapped their hives! As for a 20% loss, for us, that is high, even away up here in Alberta, and we do not check our hives much after June. We wrap anything that made honey and has enough bees to look normal: in other words, anything that is not obviously dead or dying, so our true winter loss is more likely around 5-8%. But, we wrap everything and keep it wrapped until the gardeners are seeding frost-sensitive plants. There was a carefully thought-out series on that topic in Bee Culture last fall, and the writer explains what is really killing a lot of bees. Yup, it's not mites, nosema, mice, or any of the usual culprits that are to blame, it's beekeepers and their favourite manipulations. allen http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::