I have been following the discussion of polystyrene vs wood hives with great
interest, reading with extra scrtiny the posts from those who have tried
them, dismissing those from authors who have not, and wishing the
environmental concerns would migrate to another list.

Bob's input, "I would have to run a few tests myself..." said a lot to me.
Unless one has tried the hives, how will one know how the hives work IN
THEIR OPERATION AND LOCATION!?

Personally, living in a rather harsh winter environment in upstate New York
(it gets cold here, REAL cold, for extended periods) I am VERY interested in
the reviews claiming great success in overwintering.  This is not new, it's
been posted to BEE-L before.

So I bought 10 poly hives last spring and will see how the bees do this
winter.  Indeed, "I would have to run a few tests myself..."  I hope the
bees do as well for me as others in climates like mine report.

Aaron Morris - thinking don't knock it if you haven't tried it!