This hive started out as an emergency backup hive on April 18, 2013. It was the fourth or fifth swarm to come out of my log hive. I fitted it with bars that would fit my Warre hive just in case.
I added a quilt box on top complete with screened air holes and myrtlewood sawdust from my Bee-atrice log hive which was under construction at the time. When I realized I wouldn’t need that backup hive, my wife and I decided to leave it in the tree during winter as a sort of trial to see if bees could come through our mild winter without any intervention. I’m happy to say it came through the many wind and rain storms without me treating or feeding it. It threw three swarms (two at once) that we know about and is still going strong as you can see by the video.
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 