'What do bee keepers do in the Winter?'

Although the bees have settled down for the winter [they don't hibernate or even hivernate], what does a bee keeper do in the Winter?
Well there's plenty to do. Repairing, cleaning hives supers etc. Planning what you're never going to get around to next year. Buying stuff in the Thorne's sale you probably don't need. Oxalic treatments.

For me the main job of the winter is to worry. Not in  manic way just a small voice in the back of my mind nagging me asking 'Are they going to be OK?', "Are they going to make it through the Winter?'

Some years ago [2010?] we had a cold wet winter that seemed to go on for ever. When Spring finally arrived I nervously watched the hive entrances for the first flights. Nothing.
When I eventually opened one of the hives I found this.

Lots and lots of dead bees. All the other colonies had starved to death as well.

Recently it has been reported that a Siberian Bewick swan has arrived at a Gloucester wild life reserve; the earliest for over 50 years. In Russia apparently there is a saying 'the swan brings snow on its bill', because they tend to move just ahead of the cold weather.
The little voice got a bit louder.

Having given the hives their autumn feed and added some supplements, I considered insulation.
I once said to Isaac Newton, ' Isaac, did you know that for every bee keeping opinion there is an equal and opposite opinion?'. 'No Martin, I didn't' said Isaac, 'Thats an interesting idea I might be able to use on my work on forces and how they react to each other'.
And so it is with insulation.

If you don't insulate they can freeze, if you put on too much they keep too warm and consume their stores too quickly.
Then you have a problem on how to ventilate hives in the winter and you scarely believe the debates on the use of match sticks and lolly sticks on bee keeping forums.

Insulation materials like Kingspan are too expensive for me so I decided to go for bubble wrap with a hessian skin. Also at the same time I needed to do something about woodpeckers that damaged several hives last winter.

I'll blog some pictures when I get round to doing it.