I’ve written about my beehive winterization methods over the past few years.  Aside from the steps to prepare the hives internally for our long, cold, rainy Pacific Northwest winters, I also endeavored to insulate them as best as possible from the outside, using foam insulation boards.  The approach had its merits, but it was cumbersome to set up, and didn’t easily stay in place.  So, this past Fall I decided to try the Bee Cozy from NOD Apiary Products. Note, this is not a paid review.  Just my personal thoughts on how well this product performs.  As I write this, the Bee Cozies are still on my two-overwintering hives.  It’s still too cold to remove them here in Seattle in February.  But I thought it was worth sharing what I’ve come to appreciate about them so far.

• First off, they are sooo much easier to put on than the insulation boards and straps I’ve used previously.  One slips the Bee Cozy over a Langstroth-type hive from the top like a giant sleeve, making sure the big, obvious seam is in front. Then, and this is the most complicated part of the process, one makes sure both the upper and lower entrances are accessible to the bees. That involves possibly folding down some of the top material, and/or attaching a nail or other device to prop up the material above the bottom entrance. That’s it. In my case, the “gates” on the robbing screens I use year around do the trick on the bottom (see photo); and the Vivaldi Board I also use year around provides enough height and an upper entrance that very little folding at the top is required. I should note that the folks at NOD Apiary also recommend tipping the hives forwards with shims to keep water from accumulating at the bottom entrance; that’s something we do here in rainyville anyway.

• The Bee Cozies are definitely keeping my bees warm. Seattle had its coldest days in 30 years in December 2021, and I didn’t find any significant bee die off on the bottom boards of either hive. Furthermore, when I peek in from the top of the Vivaldi Board, I can see healthy clusters of bees in the hives confirming they are doing well in there so far, eating the fondant and winter pollen patties I’ve provided.

I say “so far” because winter isn’t over yet, and we still have to get through the early spring when many a hive can still fail.  But I’m optimistic that my bees are warm enough not to have to work so hard to stay alive and consume all their stores. If I was worried they didn’t have enough food, removing the Bee Cozies quickly to move frames inside the hive (on a warmer day), would be painless compared to the insulation board approach I used before.  I’ll update later in the Spring with my final thoughts, but as of now, I’m a fan of the Bee Cozy.

For more about winterizing hives, see this earlier post. And to learn more about Vivaldi Boards, this post shares why I’m a fan of them.