It is of the greatest importance that the apiary be located where the
wind in winter is virtually eliminated. A grove of trees or an adjacent
hill usually offers the best protection, or it is possible to make an
artificial windbreak such as a high fence. A natural windbreak usually
is better, for it is more extensive in most cases. It has been found
by the authors that if a wind of 20 miles an hour blows on the winter
packing cases for a few hours the temperature of the inside of the
packed hive may be greatly reduced and may even fall as low as that of
an unpacked hive. Too much reliance should not be placed in buildings
as windbreaks, for they often serve simply to divert the wind slightly
and may even make conditions worse. A fence made of close boards
usually is unsatisfactory for it causes whirls that may destroy many
colonies. A heavy blanket of snow serves to reduce the effect of the
wind.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--Colonies of bees in summer position in groups
of four. This arrangement is advantageous whether or not the bees are
wintered in four-colony packing cases.]