Ventilation problems

I read the other day that sometimes honey bees may become ice bound in the winter. When this happens, it can look as though the beehive starved, even though there can be a full super full of honey below the cluster, this can be a hard thing to prove. This can be caused by a poor winter location. Some locations are wetter and increase the chances of moisture build-up. Also, this may be caused by poor air ventilation in your hive; you always need air circulation year round. It is important that you have a lower and upper air access, even in the smallest amounts, to allow a small convection within the hive for moist air to leave the hive.

I have heard of many things being done to help maintain moisture in the past year, external heating elements for the hive, indoor winterization, and crazy things like that. But the best way to ensure that your bees are going to enjoy a dryer winter season is to ensure that the hive is properly insulated on the roof. Heat rises in the hive and it is through this heat loss that the outside temperature fluctuations will directly affect moisture content.  That is why it is important that we offer as much space for the bees to regulate their own hive temperature with very little stress on the bees as possible.