I changed the subject line back to outdoor wintering.

In my area of Calif, our winters are wet and cool.  We get snow, but no ice
ever forms within hives.  Moisture is more the issue, as everything is
cold, wet, and soggy for weeks on end.

In the discussion of wintering, I'm very curious about upper entrances.
 Ari doesn't find them necessary in the extremely cold north.  This
observation makes me question their necessity for moisture regulation.

So my question is whether the main benefit of upper entrances is due to
their giving the bees more ready access to an entrance for defecation
flights other then having to crawl down through cold abandoned combs.

It appears to me that I see more winter flight from those colonies that
have an entrance close to the cluster, rather than being restricted to the
lower entrance.

I'd like to hear others' observations, opinions, and especially, and
experimental data.

--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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