To insulate or not to insulate

Here is some advice I got from @Dawn_SD Hope this helps. I am going to insulate my hives and build the quilted roofs for my hives. I like the ones from the article because of the venting on the sides. Without proper ventilation this leads to moisture buildup.

  1. Rusty Burlew has some comprehensive advice here:
    http://honeybeesuite.com/how-i-overwintered-ten-out-of-ten/4
    Personally I wouldn’t open the screen of the bottom board, but she did it successfully for a few month, presumably to deal with any condensation. It seems that her husband (an energy conservation expert) persuaded her to close the screens back up during the winter.

  2. In addition to a quilted roof, I would consider putting insulation around the outside of the hive. You can either buy this from a beekeeping supplier, or you can make your own by cutting rigid home insulation to shape: http://www.homedepot.com/p/R-Tech-2-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-R-7-7-Rigid-Foam-Insulation-310891/2025328563

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