I've watched them when they come back and a lot of bees get confused with the sudden change from a black hive with a the wrap pulled low to a suddenly colourful hive.
I can do this because I'm a hobby beekeeper and I know this isn't practical for commercial beekeepers.
First I pull up the wrap and tuck it under to expose the entrance, often the entrance reducer is still in place.
This year when doing the formic acid mite treatment I removed the entrance reducers but left the wraps on and pulled them up so it wasn't blocked.
Then as the weather got warmer I came back to strip off the wraps. Leaving them on longer won't hurt the bees and can help them to keep the brood warm.
This is an excellent tip! I'd never thought about it before, but I believe you're right. It must be very confusing for them. Thanks for sharing!
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