Are your colonies in the best location possible for the winter?

Consider the advice for locating hives as given in The Beekeeper’s Handbook, 5^th ed. Sammataro & Avitabile, illustrated in the diagram above. Frequently, this is the ideal time of the year to reassess wintertime hive locations. For the commercial keeper, it’s a practical decision, profit/loss, availability, etc. For the hobbyist, convenience, safety and enjoyment of the hobby can validate a decision to move. Even as a small scale beekeeper, you are not paid for extra work, inconvenience or risk. Perhaps relocation of hives would improve the quality of your beekeeping experience, or moving hives between optimal summer and winter locations would improve colony health or production.