>   I also use a 'pillow' (fiberglass stuffed into a plastic bag)
> directly on the top bars, as advocated by David Vanderdussen that measures
> about 16" x 20", but do not know anyone else who does.

It is actually quite popular.

Barry Termeer has been using Fiberglas pillows for decades, as mentioned
in article four in the series I posted today, but was using garbage bags
to hold the Fiberglas and I noticed that the bees chewed through
eventually. It is a good solution and works well.  Even placing a chunk
of Fiberglas on top of the outer lid of an unwrapped hive works wonders
as long as it is protected from water.

As a result of that observation, I decided that I didn't like glass
fibres in or around my hives and switched to Kodel insulation ( a
polyester quilting material used in concrete blankets) back when we were
first designing wraps with Inland Plastics and have stuck with it since.
  Kodel will not hold water or attract mice the way Fiberglas does and
provides reasonable insulation.

To avoid the chewing-through problem, I currently use UV resistant 6 mil
black plastic and about R5 of Kodel in the pillows and place several on
each of my hives in winter, and just one in summer.

I like soft pillows much better than wooden inner covers for year-round use.

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