Well when I first wintered hives I took every bit of advice I could get, looked at what people local to me did and made a decision.
I insulate wooden boxes now and the bees do better. They survive without insulation. They survive with just sugar syrup. They do much much better with extra warmth and their own honey.
Pollen patties go on in the spring if the weather is bad and they can’t get out to the willow.
I’ve been looking at Infra red cameras and I’ll get pictures on here of insulated boxes, uninsulated boxes and poly. That might be interesting
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Consider the Flir which attaches to your iPhone.
Which way, Jerry? I remember the lunar landings, but I don’t remember JF Kennedy! And that is because I was too young, not because I am now too senile! 
Just joking with you, don’t take it the wrong way. 
So I was wanting to feed my bee’s this winter with candy boards, and the one I bought and filled isn’t the correct size. I’m in WA state. What size should I be looking for, need to get one asap.
Ermm, what kind of hive do you have? If it was the complete Flow hive kit, it is an 8-Frame Langstroth, so you need a board to feed that size.
Having had a brief look, it seems that 8-frame candy boards are not widely available. However, Rusty Burlew has an alternative idea on her website:
I am sure that many of our other members will have ideas too. I am lucky that it doesn’t get cold enough here to need candy, but I wish you luck!
The only winterizing I do is mouse protection for them and a bottle of single malt for me lol
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Love it! I use the mouse guards year round, because the bees don’t seem to mind. Single malt, hmm, my bees still seem to stay active over winter. In fact, the last few days, it looks like San Diego may have a bit of a nectar flow - at least the Arnia shows the hive weight increasing! 
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Heck Dawn,
Not a chance of offending this moss covered old goat up here in the Cascade foothill.
Our temps are finally tapering down to normals with night temps in high 30’s n daily highs right at the 50 dgs mark.
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Today I wasn’t home at out mid-day heatwave ( 52.1 dgs F about 13:53 ) this afternoon. Temps sliding off as the sunsets soon. Forecast is for more clearing overnight with lows to mid 30’s Brrr !
Got my supper in the oven 
I put my ear against the flow n think I heard a low droning hummmm ! So hoping they are happy campers.
Got to get back to preparing supper now. Nightie nite !
Cheers,
Gerald
Pork loin roast? Would be great with a little honey poured over it… 
I would suggest getting the newest one it has a lot better camera higher resolution on thermal separation. And since it also has the lightning, it will work with future phones
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Look at his recent article I found
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Dawn,
After listening to my Humm/buzzers ! Since I didn’t observe the bees today I decided LISTEN. I’m practicing Hearing my honeybees here.
. I barely hear the smaller double deep Nuc … I tapped the box n got a healthy quick (BUZZ)… So it’s Good !
Oh Dawn ! I was planning using some of my wildflower honey. Here’s a pix or three.
. What do you think ? I can hardly wait to eat some of this loin with orange n wildflower honey.
Yum Yum,
Gerald
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Listening to the bees 
I just wrote this review for the Apivox
I’m a new beekeeper, one hive (March 2016) and I have been trying to learn as much as possible through reading (forums), lectures, my local beekeeper’s association and YouTube. I was able to get a mentor a few weeks before getting my NUC. Every time I do an hive inspection (which is recommended every 2 weeks) and no matter how careful I am, I worry for the next week that I might have killed my queen in the process. A longtime beekeeper that I know said she could hear the bees in stress. She did say that she could hear them only through lots of training and years of working with the bees. I thought that was interesting and started research. I came across a beekeeper in Northeast Oklahoma (USA) who teaches classes on natural beekeeping including a class about the sounds that bees make. In this class he covers work conducted by Eddie Woods, during World War II, which analyzed bee sounds and the corresponding meanings. He also demonstrates an amazing device (Apivox) that is based on that work. It actually listens to the bees and interprets their sounds. After seeing it in action, I immediately had to have one of my own. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to have this handy device that can recognize if the hive is queen-less, if a honey flow is in progress or if hive ventilation needs to be increased. It actually suggested to me that I make my hive entrance larger. Since having the device and becoming more comfortable with it I am able to go into the hive less frequently, maybe now every 4 weeks. During the studies Eddie Woods made, he was able to accurately predict a swarm without having to do a hive inspection, up to 4 – 5 weeks in advance. Through those studies, if you’re able to go into your hive less often, honey production and the health of hive dramatically increases. You do not have to go into your hive every 2 weeks if you choose not to, naturally only after you build the trust with the device. I now consider this device an essential tool for maintaining the health of my hives and my sanity! it is truly an amazing piece of work.
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I should send you one of my pediatric or neonatal stethoscopes! 
I would call you to tell what I think, but all you would hear is the sound of my drooling! 
Dawn,
It would have been entertaining listing to your hunger pangs n slurping tongue action on that end. It was awesome n delicious ! Wish you lived closer. We’d SHARE the Honey/Orange loin …
Now your other note… Would one of those stethoscopes really work well ? I never thought of that. Plus wouldn’t have a clue where to get one … I know my neck sure got a kink in it trying to hear the NUC BUZZ !
Deal with that idea later … Got to get washing dishes n cleaning up the kitchen now.
Ta Ta,
Jerry
Yup. Both @Dee and @Anon have been known to use stethoscopes on hives. Probably not pediatric ones, but doesn’t matter that much.
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No stethoscope for me. An ear squashed to the side of the hive is much better
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Stethoscope here:
My delicate virgin ears get cold unlike Dee who lives in a sunny warm paradise where the only cold and snow they see are on the National Geographic channel 
I don’t use a pediatric one because in winter there are no baby bees.
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