a lot more stores left in a polyhive in spring than a similar size cedar hive starting out at the same weight of strores in autumn,
In Finland, my experience, is that uninsulated wooden boxes consume 50% more food. I have only 20 years experience about uninsulated boxes and 26 yeard with polyhives-
I had too boxes, where I hit with nails 10 mm insulating board on the wooden box. When board worked as moisture barrier and boxes started to rotten quickly. But I still use them as supers. I made them 1966.
I bough first polyhives 1987. I still use them too.
Another evidence, B
If bees consume more in warm, why they starve more during cold winter?
WE get every years evidenciens that during cold winter bees consume more and after warm winter there too much winter food left in May.
Evidence C
It is well documented in laboratory, how a bee cluster consumes food in different out temperatures. In cold air
-10C, the respiration moisture condensates inside the hive and forms snow like frost.
Evidence C
When I have had small colonies in Finland, 2-3 seam of bees, they do not survive over winter normally. They live their time and then they are full of feces.
Their life is much more difficult than life in normal size cluster.
The bigger the cluster, the better bees survive over winter.
I can get tiny colonies alive over winter with electrict heating. A small colony surrounds teh 3W heater.
But it cannot start brooding in spring when bees are only in one seam.
I have seen too in my trials, that when winter was very cold from very beginning, I put 6 heaters to the smallest hives. One died but others 5 were in very good condition. They have lost bees clearly less than bigger clusters and after winter they really were in good shape.
Evidence F
Re-shaping of cluster
Short very cold spells are not so bad as long lasting cold periods (1-2 months).
A seam of bees retreats between combs during cold spell, and during mild weather the cluster expands and the cluster reshape itself and according the food.
If cold period is long, like 2 months, in many seams food will be finish and that seam will die. Bees cannot go through combs.
In bad winters even 3 seams may be dead after winter in good size cluster.
It is typical too that outer most seams, which have too few bees, they die.
What insulation helps is that the box interrior is warmer, and cluster can re shape itseld more easily than in cold box. It is easier to move near food.
- Too large room is cold too and insulation does not help in these cases.
Douple brood and half box only bees. But that is normal when the colony looses its bees for excaple for nosema.
