In a message dated 8/7/98 8:38:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:
 
> I think I've been misunderstood here.  I want to keep bees in hives for all
> of
>  the benifits that are derived from bees.  The greenhouse has no pollination
>  problem and was only wanting to winter them in the greenhouse.  My thinking
> is
>  that the protected climate would help new colonies get established easier.
> On
>  sunny days in the winter, I could feed them and when placed outside in the
>  spring, they would have a head start.
>  I see the point of bees not getting back into the greenhouse via vents and
> it
>  would not bee very hard to modify the greenhouse to have a hive entry on an
>  outside wall.
 
    I don't think this would harm the bees if the greenhouse is unheated, or
only heated when it is below freezing. It could help a bit, by giving them a
milder environment inside the hive. But, if the greenhouse is heated very much
above atmospheric temperature, the metabolic rate of the bees will increase,
and they will consume more food. Also, you run the risk of fooling the bees
into thinking it is spring, and getting them to fly on days when death is the
inevitable result.
 
[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
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The Pollination Home Page   http://www.pollinator.com
 
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