>>...overwintering in poly nucs from Betterbee. Ten of eleven survive, and are into accelerating brood rearing. I overwintered one queen in a wooden nuc. I also saw few stores consumed and very vigorous bees. I believe a sunny, sheltered location and wooden nucs are just fine. And they stay cooler in the summer. Foam nucs get very hot in our humid climate. >>By the way, By "late-season" I mean mid August to early September. Raising queens in August or September is good by me, too. There is still a decent flow (mostly from Japanese bamboo)and plentiful drones. >>have a great beekeeping year We had a mild winter although the last few weeks had few good flying days. The forecast for this week calls for good building-up weather with temps nearing 60's during the day. I walked in the garden last night and smelled nectar from the hives. Waldemar -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---