Preparing for winter

[creekroad]

I am a newbie as of this year. I have read about people wrapping hives with hardware cloth to prevent rodents and even tar paper for cold winter months. I have also read alot of con's about tar paper. Should I wrap? With what? Someone I know suggested foam maybe 1/4 Styrofoam. There is not much wind block around hive. I just want to make I do everything I can to help them.

[Ravenseye]

Keep the mice out with a mouse guard. Your choice as to the best way to do that. Do it earlier than later just in case. As far as paper goes...or even foam...you'll find lot's and lot's of discussion. Some people swear by wrapping with tar paper as it blocks cracks and helps heat the hive during sunny days. Others will claim that the heat gain can kick a colony into gear too soon, causing them to deplete stores earlier than can be replenished. Certainly, a valid case can be made for both.

I DON'T wrap with anything. I leave a screened bottom board in place although I slide a loose fitting board in for my weaker hives to cut down errant cold drafts. For a wind block, I drive stakes a few feet apart from one end of the hive stands to the other. I then stretch and staple three foot high burlap to the stakes. The result is a windbreak on three of the four sides. The front of the hives face southeast and that's the open side. I give myself enough room in the back to stand behind the hives comfortably. That means I can work them in the winter if need be or even change my mind and wrap with paper if I want to.

The only problems I had lwas ast year when an apple tree came down on a few hives during and ice storm which also took out the windbreak temporarily, and a deer that apparently strolled behind the hives, got confused about the burlap "fence" and pushed through it. Again, easy to fix.

[smith]

The best approach depends on where you live. I'm a tar paper wrapper and put on a foam board cover, and have had good luck with it. I tried foam board insulation on all sides and had a major problem with moisture build up. And that brings up a key point. The warmth provided by insulation may not be as important as ventilation. Moisture build up is a real killer. I usually overwinter in a two deep set-up, with the entrance reducer at its smallest opening. Each brood box has a 1 inch round hole near the top. That seems to work in this environment, although some folks have even more opening near the top of the stack. Check with other folks in your environment but keep an eye on the ventilation aspect.

[indypartridge]

You probably don't need to wrap your hives, but do create some kind of wind-break. Straw bales work well. Put in the entrance reducer around the time of first frost to keep out mice (check to be sure none have already moved in!).

[Ravenseye]

Smith is right regarding ventilation. Cold slows the bees down. Cold water stops them dead. Better to have a cold, dry hive than a cool, moist one.