2025 SPRING, PROOF SINGLE DEEP INSULATED HIVES THRIVE UPPER MIDWEST (part 1)

This is the first inspection of 2025 on 25 February and we are located in Northeast Kansas. We've had some really cold weather in January and February with 57 nights below freezing and 13 of them were in the negative. This video will show that you can be successful using an insulated single deep hive with no upper vents closed bottom board and reduced entrance. The inner cover is built with 2 in of insulation making this a condensing hive and an insulated telescoping cover. These modifications enable the bees to move around inside the hive and stay on the honey during the extended cold period preventing starvation. There is a link to my DIY hive insulation video.
If you are tired of replacing your dead bees every spring you should try something different in the way YOU keep bees. This video, along with my others discusses the benefits of using insulated hives. If you want to make the effort, attached is a link to my DIY insulated hive method or you can purchase insulated hives at a bee supply store. After 7 years I feel the three most important items to be a successful bee keeper in this order are;
Local bees, disease free bees, and insulated hives.
STOP buying package bees that are not adapted to the winter conditions in your area and expecting them to thrive in colder climates. Just because you pickup your bees locally does not mean they are local bees. There is in industry established to provide you new bees every year and they need your bees to die to stay in business. Some local bee clubs, their members and Facebook Groups are complicit in this business model and may even have a financial incentive not to change. There are other options.
In some cases local bees and frames are put with a queen that has not adapted to your local winter conditions and has been purchased from somewhere else and added to the package/nuc. This is not an overwintered nuc. In about a month, the old bees will die and be replaced by brood from the inserted queen that was not adapted to your climate making it more difficult for the hive to survive. Don't assume they are local bees/queens, ask your supplier!!
I recommend you show patience in the spring until the weather warms up and your local beekeepers can ramp up queen production and you buy packages and nukes from them. It can be difficult to wait when you see packages being delivered March/April and you are waiting until May/June but chances are you will feel better next spring when the same people are spending another $175. These recommendations come from my experiences learned while keeping bees, killing bees, saving bees and most importantly for this discussion having bees survive into the spring to make Honey.
I very seldom read the description and assume the same of others. If you read till the end let me know in the comments how you feel.