Winter protection

If you are running your winter hive with just a regular inner cover and outer cover, consider adding a Ruhl Bee Vivaldi Board with burlap inside it as a means to wick up the moisture created by the colony and to add thermal insulation. A good alternative is to place a honey super above the inner cover and place the insulating material, such as burlap, inside it.  You won't get the ventilation benefit of the Vivaldi board but you will have room to add more burlap.