Temp management wise -
In the summer we flipped the top cover of the hive so that a slit was across the top for ventalation (the top is plywood, with 3/8” boarder except for the front.
when it is in the 90’s bees would be at the top and bottom and fanning thier wings to help air flow through the hive.
We also painted our hives with aluminum paint to reflect the sunlight and help keep them cool, in the winter we’d put boards with small entry cuts in them at the bottom hive entrance to help keep cold air out.
Skunks - have you guys run into the grass being pulled away from the bottom of the hive ?
That’s what it looks like when a skunk goes to the hive at night and rolls the bees around in the grass to get them to sting, and then he eats them.
