Here in the mild delta region of Southeast Missouri we don't wrap our hives. The weather doesn't really get cold until Christmas, then by mid-March, winter is over.
I painted my BeeMax boxes with standard, latex house paint. The unpainted ones show slight degredation on the surface. The large black ants burrow into the grooves between boxes. As they don't really adapt to the wood Langstroth boxes, I've not felt inclined to buy more.
Grant
Jackson, MO
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