Great day to wrap!

[Perry]

Down to my last outyard to wrap today and the weather was fantastic. My neighbour Mike tagged along and snapped a couple of pics.
Some of these tarpaper wraps are at least 6 or 7 years old and still work. This yard was me using the left over pieces of tarpaper, but we still got the dozen hives done in about 20 minutes. I'll be bringing those 5 over 5 nucs (4 of them) home in the next day or two and try and overwinter them.
It was one of those days where you just couldn't help but grin it was so nice!
Got spooked by a pheasant just as we were finishing. He's in the one photo. 

[riverbee]

what is that green stuff?!...............

love the photos perry!

[Beeboy]

Good job getting the pheasant in the photo. What are on those trees? Plums?

[Jen]

I was wondering the same thing Bee? looks like a gnarly old apple tree?

[Perry]

This yard is in an abandoned apple orchard.

[LazyBkpr]

Woo Look at that truck! What a beauty!

[Perry]

Woo Look at that truck! What a beauty!

That's my baby, a 91. I'm the second owner, bought it in 2002. It's the one that just got the engine replaced.

[Barbarian]

Thanks for the pics.  A lovely sky.

There are some nice tips for the newbees in the photos.

The trees/hedge behind the hives acts as a shelter or windbreak. The hives seem to face South or East ? At the out-apiary, the truck can be driven close to the hives which makes moving hives or supers easier.

I like the way the tar paper colour hides the hives. If you squint at the photo you can see the hive parts that stand out.

Is the tar paper just waterproofing or does it insulate as well ?

[Perry]

Barbarian is correct, the hives face South, trees and shrubs are a windbreak.
The tarpaper has no insulative qualities, perhaps helping as a bit of a windbreak for anything the bees haven't tightly sealed up themselves.
The most important thing for me is the solar gain that is to be had on cold but sunny days when the bees need to be able to shift to new stores.

[Jen]

Hi Perry    Now I'm confused, I thought tar paper was for insulation, keeping warmth in, cold out.

   "The tarpaper has no insulative qualities, perhaps helping as a bit of a windbreak for anything the bees haven't tightly sealed up themselves.

    So what you are saying is that tar paper is more of a wind break to keep wind out of the cracks in the hive?

[Perry]

That's correct. It is the (for me) solar gain properties that are more important.

[Jen]

Meaning... that the black tar paper will absorb heat from the sun to help the hive stay warm so that the bees feel free to break cluster a bit and move around stores where they need them at the time?

[Perry]

  Exactly, very important (up here anyway).

[Jen]

Mkay, so that challenges my thoughts about wrapping and/or insulating my hives over here in Cali. I remember earlier this year Bakersdozen commented that she thought that maybe the 1/2 inch rigid foam board that I had my hive wrapped with, may have been too much insulation for upper Cali. We did get up to 7 below zero for a couple of weeks this last winter. I can't remember for sure, but her thoughts were something like maybe as the weather started to warm in February, it may have over warmed the hive which amped the queen up too early, in addition to winter patties started in late January. Hense 10 swarms from March 26th for about 5 weeks.

That whole event of feeding the winter patties and the 10 swarms left me very befuddled, still am. Soooo, maybe the tar paper would be better?

[Perry]

Try it on a couple of hives and see what happens. Best way to figure out what works for your area.