For some time we have been puzzling as to why bees in the hive we designed
do better than a regular non ventilated hive. The view up to now, has been
that the stores and hive are dryer. Now another idea had just surfaced and
we hope somebody will discuss it in a practical non scientific fashion.
Question "If all living beings, insects included breath by oxygen absorption
leaving carbon dioxide. In a closed system, wouldn't you run out of oxygen?
Unless there is some ventilation and/or air exchange. Here is we believe a
lot of winter kill, the bees suffocate!! Consider the facts, a hive is
sealed by the bees, in fact all the cracks are sealed. The inner cover and
roof are down tight, some keepers even cover them with plastic. Now, if the
bees are using up the available oxygen, leaving carbon dioxide, which will
rise with the heat created, the hive becomes a death trap. The bees move
upwards during the winter eventually ending up against the inner cover, into
the strongest concentration of carbon dioxide. We know that oxygen breathers
become sluggish due to oxygen starvation, which would account for the slow
decline of some hives. Dr Nasr's work on Thermal Regulation states, "that
bees use  more oxygen as the temperature drops", it could possibly account
for a lot of winter kill.
In the words of the CB'ers "Come on Back"
    ****************************************************
   * David Eyre          9 Progress Drive, Unit 2, *
   * The Beeworks,    Orillia, Ontario, L3V 6H1.*
   * [log in to unmask]      705-326-7171 *
   * http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks          *
   ****************************************************