> the bearding was not due to inadequate cross-sectional ventilation openings
What the bees do when on the outside of the hive does not adequately tell the tale.
Bees beard when the INSIDE of the hive lacks adequate ventilation, or the weather has become so hot and humid that even humans notice.
Bees also beard when various mite treatments are used that rely on the volatilizing of volatile organic compounds. Again, the air quality in the hive is reduced, so they sit outside on the front stoop.
I guess we could pump Co2 into a well-sealed hive, and see what level prompts bearding, as my money is on simple "air quality" being the driving force here.
For several decades the "Bee Cool Ventilator" has been made and sold by a company in VT USA that is said to mostly eliminate bearding and provide other benefits, and they offer several studies in support of their approach of putting a solar panel and a fan on a beehive ( https://beecoolventilators.com/ventilation_studies_by_universities_world_wide.php )
I don't know why there is no battery offered by the maker, as ventilation with this device stops when the sun goes down, and evenings can be very hot and muggy, too.
There are a number of 12-volt batteries suitable, such as the small ones used for motorcycles, lawn mowers, and consumer-grade battery backup units.
That said, I put a passive solar ventilator on half a dozen hives in the 1990s, as Virginia summers can be hot enough to prompt a beekeeper to change socks and sneakers at lunch, as both get saturated with sweat. The design was simple - a "solar chimney" - the hives were fitted with older supers to which mesh had been stapled across the bottom to prevent entry, and a light baffle (like two slatted racks, offset, with wider slats on the layer above) the sides had large holes cut with a hole saw, also screened to prevent entry by critters or bees. The south side of the boxes were painted flat black.
What did the bees think of my wonderful passive solar ventilation system? Not much, as they took time away from their work in converting nectar to honey to propolize the mesh, clearly working to REDUCE the airflow.
Ingrates! 😉
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