Hello,
There are several helpful posts about observation hives, talking about where to get them and how to connect them to the outside through a tube.
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My plan is a four medium Langstroth frame OH from ebay [item 260567815084]. I plan to put it in a kitchen corner at my townhouse in Northern Virginia.
The posts mention that OH's have dodgy survival and production, since they only hold 3-4 frames. How do you overwinter an OH? If the brood is indoors, it seems that the huge difference between indoor and outdoors would confuse the bees once winter hits.
day length has a big part of what bees do. Even with lights on in the house they will cluster up over winter. it may not be as tight as a hive outdoors,but activity diminishes a lot over winter.
Any bees venturing near the exit will feel the cold and return.