Ventilation for winter

[BeeAdmin]

This is my first year with bees and I have Paradise polystyrene hives. The manufacturer recommends just keeping the bottom mesh open and reducing the entrance. No other ventilation. I'm happy to hear from others that have actually used this type of ventilation.

Hey, welcome to the forum. Enjoy!

 

[Lazy K]

Thanks. I'll look into that. Actually, our winters are dry with nighttime temps freezing but day time temps often in the 60's F (10-15C I think). And most days are sunny. Bees fly almost every day.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

It's not uncommon for bees to partially close the entrance with propolis - they don't need much of an entrance at all.
As far as insulation is concerned, if a colony was in a tree, it's possible that they could have >5 metres of timber above them, so a bit of 1/4" plywood is not quite the same, but thick enough the convince an arriving swarm in summer that the nest site is suitable for a cold winter.