Hei!
 
All this discussion about Carbon Dioxide in overwintering hives is
all very interesting, even if some of the info is  dubious science.
 
It all started with the suggestion that some winter loss could be
explained by suffocation -- I would suggest that nobody has actually
claimed to have had such a loss, if they had it would be worth
discussing why and how to avoid it.
We use fairly well sealed hives  here to overwinter (mid-Norway)
with a ventilation opening at the bottom.The only
loss mechanism we have big problems with is starvation. If the winter
starts early and finishes late it can be diffucult to get the bees to
feed properly at the end of the autumn and the late winter/early
spring period can be very difficult. However, the point is nobody
here has ever had an unexplainable winter loss as far as I know.
Assuming they arent hermetically sealed in, that is we arent talking
about way out abnormal hive arrangements
                     ----can/ do bees suffocate over the winter?
 
Cheers Tony
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Anthony N. Morgan (Tony)                 Fax: +47 73 89 62 86
"Stavshagen"                          E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Midtsandan                               Sor-Trondelag College
7563 MALVIK                              Elec. Eng. Department
Norway                                   7005 TRONDHEIM, Norway
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