>Hello,
>
>The Museum of Natural History in Nova Scotia is considering setting up
>a demonstration bee hive ...
 
Hello Calum!
Last summer I started a 2 frames hive with glass sides, which can be covered
with a wooden sheet to darken. The hive was set up indoors and connected
with the outside through a plastic tube, usually used for electric wires in
houses. The tube is yellowish, and you can see the shadows of the bees
moving through it.  We live on lat ~59.5 in Europe.
>How far are bees willing to travel, say through a plexiglass tube, to
>reach the outdoors?
Our tube length is about 40 cm, but I am sure you can increase it! The glass
in the window is changed to a plywood with a hole for the tube, thats all
what we have done to the building. We had a cold period for a little more
than three weeks with lower temperature an -20 degrees Centigrade, and it
was OK with the bees.
>How do they react to lighting of the hive interior (eg. through
>plexiglass sides) or movement of people near the hive?
I have not seen any special reactions, you can stydy their behaviour (eg
dancing), but I have got a feeling that the queen more often move the the
darker side.
>Has anyone had success overwintering bees indoors (we're at
>Lat. 44 00 00)?
We had then to overwinter. Be careful to have some sort of nurishing
apparatus if needed. The bees are more active than the ordinary bees in
behives outside. It is also important to let them have the tube outdoors
open, so that they feel the real temperature.
Good Luck!
Sven Gerdin
Sweden
Med vdnliga hdlsningar och ha en bra dag
Sven