Dan, I think your logic is sound. Considering bees living in a hollow
tree, wall or other structures,  w are basically creating a cubical
hollow trees for them to live in with our bee hives. In theory, if your
had sufficient equipment, you could stack the hive 10 high if you wanted,
and the bees would manage the space inside as they would in any hollow
tree. The only time I "squeeze" the bees is when I want them to draw out
foundation. Then I shuffle frames and boxes to make sure they don't just
draw out the centers of the boxes, otherwise, I always make sure there is
at LEAST one empty super on because I believe they need plenty of space
to "spread out" the nectar to assist in drying it out. I also feel that
with perpetual empty space in the hive, I KNOW I am not restricting their
honey production by restricting the space they have to fill. When there
is empty space in there, they always have room to work the nectar and
store honey. And as to guarding the stores, again your are correct, the
entrance hasn't changed! I once made the mistake of cracking the lid on
my hives a few summers back when we had 100+F days for weeks. I wanted to
assist in cooling the colony by creating a chimney effect. Well, it
worked great until the hornets discovered it, and they made quick work of
my colonies. So now I still crack the tops, but put some homemade framed
window screens on top and no more predation!
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