What happened to my hive?

ok, I already have a bunch of that rigid insulation, ill just cut to size..thank you...

 

I switched the frames that had comb and bees into a nuc and put another nuc box ontop with a feeder, hopefully the confined space will help the remaining bees guard the hive and stay warm in the winter.the one entrance is now reduced to about an inch.its still pushing 80degrees plus today, as its becomes colder out I will insulate the hive..

 

I use the betterbee poly nuc boxes up here [Massachusetts] I often find the queen on the outside frames in these because they can cover the whole box and stay warm. Very good overwintering with them.

 

I use the homosote boards to collect moisture so it doesn't drip down on the hives. This year I'm trying a new method that uses a box that fits on top of the brood chambers that has insulation inside it along with a homosote board that also collects moisture. I use a bee cozy as well. the boxes are about 3-4 inches tall and the cozy nearly covers them. I make sure to keep the upper entrance open for ventilation and which allows the bees to fly out to do their business during the winter. We can get pretty cold winters up here in northern Connecticut, so I'm hoping the new method with the insulation boxes on top help. BTW, they are painted black to attract heat. My bees face east for the morning sun to warm them and have tree cover behind them to block the wind. Keeping my fingers crossed that all survive!

 

Thanks. Me too!