Has anyone made or know of a study of bee escapes?
I have been playing with the type known in Canada
as the 'Quebec' Bee escape.
It consists of an inner cover with a one and a half
inch hole drilled in the centre.  One one side is triangle
formed by three 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch sticks.
  The corners of the triangle are open about 1/4 inch,
and a triangular piece of 6X6 mesh hardware cloth
is stapled over the sticks.
  When it is placed (triangle side down) on a super
or brood chamber and supers with bees are stacked
on top, the bees tend to migrate down through its three
small holes and leave the supers free of bees.
  My questions:
1. What are the reasons that the bees go down?
2. Why are there always (apparently) young bees
     dead  on the screen?
3. What is the optimal configuaration?  I have made
     them with four corners (square).  They seem to
     work well.
4. What is the optimal width for the corner openings?
5. What is the optimal size for the centre hole?
  I'm a commercial beekeeper and haven't the time for
detailed study, but am quite curious.
  I assume that both Quebec and cone escapes make use
of geometry and the sensory idiosyncracies of bees,
but, I suspect each relies on a different principal.
I propose that a cone escape uses visual deception
and secondarily an opening that is much more obvious -
given a bee's sense of feel - from the inside than from
the outside, however the Quebec escape is used in
complete darkness and must rely on feel alone.
  It is easier to find the single door to exit, say, a small
public washroom in the dark , than to find the entry door
when in a large hallway, possibly with many doors.
  I would appreciate any references or discussion that
might enable me to make the best possible board.
We do not like repellants, and the abandonment
method on which we rely is very awkward when
foul weather intervenes, resulting in robbing.  Also
weekends are a problem - honey pulled on a Friday
might have to be picked up Saturday.