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