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 [log in to unmask] http://www.umt.edu/biology/bees