After my article "Keeping Strong Colonies" was published in the journal "Beekeeping" (No

After my article "Keeping Strong Colonies" was published in the journal "Beekeeping" (No. 4, 2007), I received numerous requests for more details about my method, particularly regarding winter preparation for bees. I keep my bee colonies in homemade double-walled ten-frame hives made of fiberboard with a 2 cm thick layer of foam. Over 25 years of beekeeping, I have tried various hive types, including long hives and Dadants, and found double-walled hives to be superior. I only maintain strong colonies, and if any weaken in the fall to the point where they cannot adequately cover all ten frames after being moved to a single box, I take specific actions.