>>Directly above the cluster it was dry on top
under the cover, but under the cover where the cluster was not 
located there was droplets of water. Probably from condensation...

I use wooden nucs - I believe wood is just fine for overwintering 
although styrofoam nucs seem to facilitate a quicker spring build-up 
[which may or may not be desireable in certain climates - that I set 
up with flat masonite inner covers with a 1 in. diameter hole at the 
front end.  I place a newspaper on top of the inner cover and a short 
1/4" stick in between at the front to create a ventilation channel.  
This set-up keeps the frames and bees fairly dry in our humid climate.

The key to good overwintering is to provide slow ventilation that 
will eliminate most of the humidity BUT not create drafts.

I close up the ventilation holes sometime in March when brood rearing 
is under way.  The nucs don't get wet when brood rearing is underway 
and the sun occasionally warming up the nuc walls allows bees to walk 
through out the hive.  The bees collect the extra moisture to dilute 
stored honey to feed to the larvae.

I read a study that found that providing water in the hive in the 
late winter/ early spring is better for building up than feeding thin 
syrup [provided there is no shortage of stored honey].

Waldemar 
Long Island, NY

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