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Mon, 23 Dec 1996 15:26:29 EST |
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Gentlepeople:
It's been a long time since I've posted to the List and, quite
frankly, I am a little nervous. It seems that there are a lot
of sharks out there now waiting to snap at "us poor little
fishes". But, WTH, my great uncle always said [generally when
he was about to tell us a "fishing story" or other big whopper
of a tale :)], "No Guts, No Glory!"
[What that has to do with fishing stories and other tall tales,
I never could figure out, but he said it anyway. He used to be
a U.S. Marine, maybe that had something to do with it. ;)]
I visited my wintered hives this past weekend. Temperatures:
35-40F, Cloudy with a light mist hanging in the air. All 10
look really fine from the outside and there was a comforting
hum from the top deep super (I winter with two deeps and a
medium.) on all 10 hives. The bees had not yet moved up into
the medium super.
As I was looking at all the miscellaneous holes and other areas
which provide both emergency exits and ventilation, I
remembered reading, I believe in one of Brother Adams books, an
admonition about having "draughts". I began to wonder if there
was any real data regarding the size and quantity of air that
the bees move through the hive during the winter.
Have there been any studies published regarding how much
"ventilation" should one try use without causing the hive to
become drafty? (Do the Bees really care? Or Does it really
matter?) I know that there is a whole body of literature
regarding ventilation of indoor wintering quarters, but that is
not what I am interested in.
In several of my hives I have modified the innercovers to allow
more ventilation which seems to help keep them dry, but when is
"to much of a good thing"?
David Egloff
Dayton, OH
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