Wintering bees In Canada

[Honeyboy]

Here are some pictures of my colonies on the 20th of March here in Canada.
http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn126/1967gmc/?albumview=slideshow
I lost 1 out of 24 hives, a great insulator , regulates the temp in the colony for the whole winter!!!

Enjoy

[Hobie]

Gee, now my "brushing snow off hive entrance" stories seem a bit anticlimactic! Glad to hear you had a good survival rate. Do you use upper entrances?

[Jeffzhear]

Here are some pictures of my colonies on the 20th of March here in Canada....a great insulator , regulates the temp in the colony for the whole winter!!!Enjoy

Great Pictures....makes me wonder why I worry about a mere foot or two of snow around my hives!

[jackalope]

you crack open your hives before it's warm enough for them to fly? Doesn't that kill a lot of them? I just stick my ear to the side and listen for the soft buzzing

[Honeyboy]

No I usally open them up for fear of not enough stores, I was 1 week to late in I apiary, 12 of the 18 starved!! They had a real hard winter hear.
And yes the top and bottom entrances are both open.
I can see snowmobile tracks around 1 foot away, they probably didn't even know!!

[peggjam]

"I can see snowmobile tracks around 1 foot away, they probably didn't even know!!"

Boy, that could be a problem if they hit them couldn't it? Maybe you should flag them or something before the snow comes:).