On 7-Dec-17, at 1:03 PM, Paul Hosticka wrote: > > Reading Jerry's methods I agree with almost all believing that we > are in a similar climate. We probably get a good deal less wind at > least in my winter location. I do not doubt that a black wrap has > some benefit but in my experience with very low overall loss and no > observable difference between wrap and unwrap I don't think it is > worth the effort. I like inner covers and telescoping lids for > several reasons. I make my own inners from 3/8" plywood with a 1" > rim and a 2 1/2 dia. hole in the center. The thick plywood does not > sag and supports the gallon bucket feeders I use inverted over the > hole. The extra thick rim provides room for my formic mite-wipes and > a sub patty. The telescoping lid I believe provides superior winter > water/wind protection as well as summer heat protection. I sometimes > get melted honey frames under migratory lids in 105 degree temps, > not so with telescoping/inner. Hi Paul & All There have been several great posts, on this thread, with lots of ideas from Alabama to California to Washington to Alberta to the Northeast on both sides of the border and lots in between. The most obvious thing about these places is that their climates have literally nothing in common. I live in an area in south central Ontario dubbed 'Headwaters' because it is the source of five major Ontario river systems flowing to Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Another feature of the 'Headwaters' area is its elevation(almost 1800 ft) which others would say is just a pimple but it is 1550 feet higher than lake Ontario less than 60 miles away. The weather in the 'Headwaters' area has been described as horizontal because the wind almost never stops. I think that there must be a heap of snow somewhere southeast where the snow that blows past here finally comes to rest. Probably Vermont, New Hampshire or somewhere else down there. Because of the wind, black hive covers of various manufacture including the old standard tarpaper are use almost universally here. I use slip on coreplast covers similar to the old cardboard covers but made of the same material used in real estate for sale signs and although it provides little in the way of insulation it is impervious to water and wind. With the top entrance cut into the rim of the inner cover the moisture leaving the hive condenses/freezes on the inside of the cover, melting & running to the ground when the sun warms the black cover. In addition to the thicker plywood suggested by Paul I don't have verandas on my bottom boards so that the cover drops down to the hive stand protecting both top & bottom entrances and eliminating the need to tip the hive forward because there is no veranda to catch the rain & snow. Bob Darrell Caledon Ontario Canada 44N80W *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html