James Fischer says pay attention to latitude - and that will tell you
something about cold/warm climates.  It doesn't say anything about wet/dry
climates.  Having worked with bees on both U.S. coasts, most western
states, TX, TN, and visits to Georgia and Alabama with a few European, SE
Asia, and Guatemala tossed in - I can say that proper bee management has to
take into account humidity and rainfall, not just warm/cold.

In dry climates, one can actually desiccate the brood nest.  In wet
climates, you can "drown" bees from condensation inside hives.  The wide
open hives with raised covers that I saw and ran in Maryland during the
winter would not survive one of our subzero Montana winters with a howling
wind blowing out of Canada - no offense Alan - but that's where our bitter
cold comes from.

Jerry
Jerry J. Bromenshenk
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http://www.umt.edu/biology/bees