Hive wraps.

[Alleyyooper]

You can't buy tap paper like in days gone by, today you get flet paper in to grades 40 pound and another that escapes me at the moment. I did not care for to work involved in wrapping th ehives in the fall and removal in the fall.
Yet with the last two brutal winters with wind (keep it in Canada please) I decided I should give them some kind of help.
Searching bee catalogs I found the wax coated cardboard sleeves. they fold and store well in the summer and just slip over the hives in the fall to install two sizes also loose and tighter. Problem is they cost way more than I want to spend for several 100.



I went out a while back with some corrugated plastic signage from a fast food joint I made a ruff copy to see if I thought it would work. After a couple modifications I think they will work fine. I do not like duck brand duct tape either



I collect the signs which are changed about every two weeks at the local Tim Hortons. I use them for a bunch of stuff even built a deer blind with them.






   Al

[LazyBkpr]

Oh sure.. by the time you get a deer your so hungry you EAT it!   

[Alleyyooper]

I paint the insides flat black to cover the ads.

   Al

[Chip Euliss]

The few hives (this year I had 48) I winter, I push 4 hives together on a pallet to reduce the surface area for heat loss and it lets any hive share sides with 2 adjacent hives.  I take the lids off and replace them with buffalo board (cheap fiber board at Lowe's etc. and I tack it in place with small nails), and cut a one inch opening in it along an outside edge (to vent carbon dioxide and water vapor); the buffalo board also absorbs some moisture to keep ice from forming at the top of a hive.  I then use that silver bubble-wrap insulation they sell for hot water heaters and wrap the hive.  I staple it in place and cut an opening to match the opening in the buffalo board to give the bees an upper escape and a vent for respiration vapors (just a slit and staple it down so it doesn't close up over winter).  The insulation is probably 36 inches or so tall so there is plenty up top to fold over the 4 hives like you would wrap one end of a Christmas present.  I put the old lids on top of the folded over top and tie them down with masons cord to keep the insulation from unfolding and creating a draft.  Set hives in a place with wind protection and southern exposure.  The insulation can be reused.  I started using them 12-15 years ago for the few hives I winter and they still look great.  Just roll them back up and they're ready for storage.

[Perry]

I get the value of placing 4 hives on a pallet to reduce exposure on 2 sides of each colony, but I don't see how 2 of those hives will benefit from southern exposure? I over winter everything as singles with a single wrap of tarpaper. The solar gain on the coldest of days is what I am after, I can hear the bees on a -10 C (14 F) day if the sun is shining.

[neillsayers]

My first winter with bees. Don't think we'll have anything like you guys have to deal with but I'll be pouring over this thread to learn. Thanks, Guys

[riverbee]

i use this wrap on my bees and b and b honey farm needs to start paying me or giving me a discount for how much business i have sent them.....LOL!!!

Colony Quilt 1 2 Deep Colony

they also sell this stuff for 3 deeps and in rolls, peruse here:

Winter Wrap

i have left my hives unwrapped some years, but find this stuff to be a good windbreak, and/or a good wrap in years our temps are downright crazy. my hives are not exactly located where sun can reach them or in a location with very good windbreak. i think these wraps do help during our coldest temps and including the health of the hive going into winter months which really is the beekeeper's responsibility to get them through; health, queen, available food etc....can only add to your success come spring.  wrapping a hive isn't going to save your bees unless you have taken care of them or done the best to do so, especially in northern climates (just my HO).

btw, these store great! just roll them up or roll flat and store.  i have used these for about 12 -15 years.

[Chip Euliss]

I get the value of placing 4 hives on a pallet to reduce exposure on 2 sides of each colony, but I don't see how 2 of those hives will benefit from southern exposure? I over winter everything as singles with a single wrap of tarpaper. The solar gain on the coldest of days is what I am after, I can hear the bees on a -10 C (14 F) day if the sun is shining.

I orient the pallet so the side of the pallet that has 2 hive openings is oriented north/south.  That lets the 2 hives on the east get sun in the morning and the ones on the west get afternoon sun.  The main thing with southern exposure is to make sure you don't have structures (like trees) that shade at any point during the day.  Our winters are bitter and we get down to -40 (F and C are the same at that temp) at times.  Tar paper has been used for a long time but a friend of mine who has wintered here for 30+ years switched to the silver insulation.  I followed suit and have had good luck with it.  We used to have a fellow here who wintered singles for many years.  He also butted 4 hives together but he also stacked 3 singles on top of one another so 12 hives shared a common winter wrap.  His losses were pretty minimal.

[LazyBkpr]

Cant imagine much solar gain from the silver, but cant argue with success!!! Thanks for posting your method Chip... Looks like I will be wintering close to two hundred next winter, and most of them will be on pallets.

[Perry]

I helped a friend wrap his hives last week. There were around 100 and they were all on pallets, even though he doesn't move them. I will have to admit there is an appeal to it. Wrapping is quick and easy, takes up way less yard space, only 1 common cover.........