Hi all
My first job with bees (1974) was to help unwrap 2000 hives in Upstate NY. They were all wrapped the way Cornell was recommending at the time. Black roofing paper, upper entrance. This method was advocated by Farrar in a 1944 publication:

> The lower entrance should be reduced to about 3/8 by 3 inches with an entrance cleat. An upper entrance in the form of a 1-inch auger hole just below the upper handhold is coming into general use. The lower entrance allows dead bees to be removed readily and thus keeps molding of combs at a minimum, while the upper hole serves as a flight entrance and an escape for moisture-laden air.

Farrar, C. L. (1944). Productive management of honeybee colonies in the Northern States (Vol. 702). US Department of Agriculture.

This what I did this fall, and see to reason to think that it is not sound advice based upon empirical data (as opposed to theoretical).

* Regarding what sorts of abodes feral bees select: 1) natural selection has produced bees which choose the best available home sites; 2) there may be no ideal home sites available, hence they pick from what they can get; 3) we have no idea what their criteria are, other than size, and access: top on their list may be protection from predators; 3) they may have no ability to judge suitability for winter or long term survival.  

PLB

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