Fatality

[blackcloud]

Bc not sure what advice you had and the water bit sounds odd. But the leave alone bit is subjective, we all leave them alone over the Winter to a degree but those on the ball check roofs are not blown off, hives are knocked over by kids or live stock and we should all check for stores. This is easily done by walking up behind and gently lifting to check the weight of hive. Whilst for those of us that have done it a few times and can judge its easy but you would not be the first newbee to ask what a heavy hive feels like. A friend of mine runs courses and stacks the inside of a hive with bricks, it at least gives new beeks an idea of what the weight should be and we can act accordingly

That's a lot more helpful ,as a newborn would have no idea for comparison
Plus the homemade hive their on is made from inch and quarter planks.The empty box they were in wighs as much as the framed up brood and a half they would have gone into.