I am a novice beekeeper using bees for apitherapy for my wife with M.S.
I would like to have bees available during the winter months for this
purpose and am asking for any advice on the best method to accomplish this.
We live in Vermont, so the winter will be fairly long with temps reaching
-20 F. The alternatives that I have come up with so far are:
        1) Prepare the hive for winter and open it periodically when
           the weather cooperative.
        2) Place the hive outside adjacent to the house, with a tunnel
           thru a wall to allow the bees to be collected indoors.
        3) Place the hive inside the house, with a tunnel thru a wall
           for the bees to get out of the hive when needed.
The first alternative seems a little risky, in that the colony would be
exposed to a fair amount of cold over the winter. The issue with the
third is whether this disrupts any natural cycle by remaining fairly warm
during the winter.
As I said these are just the thoughts of someone with very limited experience
so I would appreciate any suggestions, comments, or ideas. Thanks in
advance for any help you might have. Bob Noble ([log in to unmask])