It is impossible to insulate bees too heavily during the winter. It
is obvious, however, that the beekeeper will not want to put on more
packing than is practically necessary. For a climate such as that of
Washington, D. C., it is found desirable to provide 4 inches of packing
underneath the hives, 6 inches on all sides, and 8 or more inches on
top. In warmer climates less will be needed, but the beekeeper must not
think that simply because he lives south of Washington he can be safe
with less packing or none at all. There are many places farther south
than Washington where more packing is needed, and there are, indeed,
few places except along the Gulf or in southern California where less
may be used if the best results are to be obtained.
For more northern localities more protection is needed. The amount
indicated for Washington has been used with success in places as cold
as northern Ohio and even in Canada, but in these places the insulation
during the coldest seasons is usually augmented by heavy snows. These
are not at hand every winter, or may be lacking during the coldest part
of the winter, and it is, therefore, wise to provide more packing,
especially on the sides and top. For a climate such as that of New York
or Wisconsin, 8 inches of good packing on the sides and 1 foot on the
top probably will be enough for good wintering every year. The amounts
recommended for the different zones of the United States are given in
Table I (p. 15).
A belief is current among many amateur beekeepers that good results may
be obtained by using hives which have 2 inches of packing built in the
sides and somewhat more on top. This amount is insufficient in winter
in all parts of the country except the southern portions of the Gulf
States. A common practice is to wrap some straw or corn fodder around
the hives, but this may do more harm than good if the wind can blow
directly through it. A covering of roofing paper with perhaps a little
paper packing underneath is practically worthless in insulating value.