Mike Rossander said:

> As this list has repeatedly discussed, the real threat in a beehive
> is the elimination of excess humidity, not oxygen transport.

But the mechanism for moving moisture IS a gas transport problem!
If the moisture was liquid, it would only move straight down.

> The "traditional" response is to vent the humid air to the outside
> of the environment.  In the impromptu snow cave the excess humidity
> will condense against the snow cavity walls,

OK, let's consider this model.  We have bee respiration, which is warmer
moist air, which tends to rise until it hits something cooler and condenses.

I think we can agree that the goal is to get this condensation to happen
anywhere except over the cluster.

But before we can have a "snow cavity", we have to somehow MAKE the space
by melting snow!  The gap between hive and "igloo wall" does not exist at
first, and, during this period the inner surface of the outer cover becomes
the most likely point where the moisture condenses.

Yes, gases certainly can make their way through snow, but any vent hole
blocked by snow (before melting) is certainly going to result in a backlog
of warmer moist air.  Where's the excess warm(er) moist(er) air gonna go?

I'd say "up".
Where it hits the cover, right over the cluster.

Not an encouraging scenario, is it?

> leaving drier air to recirculate into the beehive.  If memory serves,
> it only takes about an inch of airspace for convection currents to set
> themselves up.

While this is an excellent model for the hive AFTER the "snow cavity"
airspace is created, how long does it take to create that inch of
airspace, and what happens to all the moisture before and during the
creation of that airspace?

I think the initial scenario is much less than optimal, but I agree that,
after an extended period of time spent slowly melting snow, millimeter by
millimeter, one does have a much less nasty set-up.

But getting to your scenario implies a much worse scenario has to exist
first, and for an extended period.

But what's the solution here?  Periscope vents?  Sounds kinda silly.
I'm never going to see snow that deep here in VA, so I can't test
anything.

                        jim

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