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Winter is a most difficult time for bees, even more so if the bee keeper hasn't prepared the hives
correctly. Good wintering techniques start months before the first frost.
Wet Hives.
Without the use of P2000, Warm air condenses on cold surfaces and forms ice, this then melts in
the spring and often drips back into the cluster, Wetness kills bees,
You can approach your hive with two different points of view.
- a simple top entrance of P2000 would help. That same top entrance will also prevent ice build
up on the entrance reducer which will prevent suffocation .
- Wrap the hive
A wrap of P2000 will keep the hive dry, and stops the snow from wetting the hive sides, it also
warms the hive interior on bright sunny days allowing the bees to break cluster and move to stores.
Taping all seams with the Polyester tape does a good job of holding it in place. The illustration
shows a hive that was wrapped by a beekeeper in Alaska who did not have access to P2000.
Follow a similar pattern with P2000 for a superior result.The cost of wrapping the hive is not
much to avoid the death of a hive. Cost of replacing that hive, over $300, by the time you add
the loss of that year's honey crop, replacement and the time and effort cleaning and repairing
the hive and frames. A P2000 wrap can be used for years to come.
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