My ancestors, including my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, were beekeepers, as…

My ancestors, including my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, were beekeepers, as detailed in the article "Beekeeping by Inheritance" (Journal of Beekeeping, No. 4, 2005). I established my own apiary when I moved to a house 12 km from my grandfather's. Initially, I used old Dadant hives inherited from my family, along with some modified Levitsky hives. I didn't pay much attention to these hives at first, having grown up watching my father and his brothers work with 12-frame hives. I asked my father why he didn't use the older hives, but he seemed unfamiliar with them and couldn't provide a clear answer. Over the years, I have kept bees in both factory-made and self-constructed 12-frame hives, achieving decent results despite limited honey yields in my area. However, I faced wintering challenges despite careful preparations and quality feed.