> I was the one who started this (latest?) focus on
> dispensing with restricted ventilation on both bottom
> and top by posting a quote from Langstroth.

Yes, I remember, and I'm still waiting for the rest of the story -- if it is
available.

What *did* Langstroth have to say in May about those same hives, or was he --
like so most of us -- happy to expound when he is winning and very quiet when in
difficulty?

Regardless of whether bees need ventilation in winter or not (I think they do),
in early spring in cold country they need to have that ventilation and hive
volume reduced and controlled if they are to build up early, or even in some
cases, even to survive.

Lloyd put his finger on an important point when he started talking about the
strain of bees being used.  Once again, so much depends on the location and the
strain of bees as well as the hive configuration used by the individual
beekeeper that general statements only serve to confuse us.

allen