> If warming periods that allow a brief cleansing flight in winter do occur, the heavily insulated colony may not be aware of the change and would fail to take advantage of a flight. For these reasons, heavy packing or insulation are not recommended.


This is not the case with my wintering colonies. My insulated boxes do not lag behind when conditions favor cleansing flights.  I've observed both heavily insulated colonies and uninsulted colonies, side by side,  exit to cleanse at literally the same time.  My guess is that filled honeycombs in the outer frame positions tend to stabilize interior temperature fluctuations regardless of insulation. The bees are using different selection criteria to determine the right time to cleanse. 

For more information on wintering clusters, this source has some interesting data, especially around cluster temps. 

> The results of this study are based on a total of 1,200,000 temperature readings made from 1,600 to 2,000 thermocouple installations. The readings revealed the cluster reaction to change in outside temperature, the change in size and shape of the cluster during the winter, and the area of the cluster in which the brood developed. Some colonies were placed in a refrigerator to get better data on colony reaction to low temperature.

The Thermology of Wintering Honey Bee Colonies

https://beesource.com/resources/usda/the-thermology-of-wintering-honey-bee-colonies/


Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT

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