> As a personal goal of mine is to get > beekeepers to open up their hives with ventilation (winter and summer), I > think it is worthwhile to provide a word or two on the difference in > perspectives, and why I think (despite Allen's worthwhile experience and > thoughts) that beekeepers should adopt the position that 'cold does not hurt > bees'. I think we need to be objective here. If viewed from a true/false perspective, the statement: 'cold does not hurt bees', easily fails the test of truth, and thus must be considered a false statement. Cold does indeed hurt bees, and under some circumstances will kill them. The fact that under many conditions strong clusters of healthy bees can endure cold does not mean that it does not hurt them, nor even that it is good for them. The same is true of ventilation. Appropriate amounts of ventilation are beneficial to bees, but excess amounts can be deadly. In either case, the size and condition of the honeybee cluster determines the degree of tolerance. Weak, small clusters are much more susceptible to the effects of either excess cold or excess ventilation. Baby nucs for mating, for example are sometimes killed or damaged by unexpected cold accompanied by wind. I know what you are trying to say and can see that you are (over)simplifying for effect. I can understand using hyperbole for emphasis. My concern is that inexperienced listeners who may lack perspective will believe things that are not universally true. Tyros often do have weak colonies and will wonder why their bees died if they think that they do not need to mitigate ambient conditions, even in locations that are somewhat south. Wrapping and/or insulation can be beneficial in many circumstances for protecting weaker colonies, and these are useful tools that any good beekeeper should consider under appropriate circumstances. FWIW, we do wrap with insulation, but also provide upwards ventilation. This may seem to be contradictory -- blowing hot and cold with the same mouth -- but we use the best effects of both to help the bees achieve comfortable conditions. allen