The more I read and hear of NUC success in northern climates the more convinced I become of their usefulness for northern Beeks. It seems it may be the best way to keep bees alive over our winters. I recommend the teachings of Michael Palmer. His videos are all over the internet.
I have 3 NUCs in a single rectangle box (my old Long Hive converted into three sections). Unfortunately, I have no way of checking on them, which entails removing the cover unless we get some warmer days (bad initial design)……….and that doesn't look very promising for the next week or more….. :-\