Denise said "A half inch rock
or stick stuck on one side of the outer cover. Would this not have been
enough ventilation?"

I would have thought that would be sufficient ventilation, but would have
been certain had the rock been placed under the inner cover.  Denise I
recall you said the dead bees appeared wet.  Back when I used to loose hives
to poor ventilation, that was exactly the appearance they had.  Later in the
spring, blue mold would actually grow on them.

How could they have become wet if not from condensation?  Perhaps for some
reason the hole in the inner cover did not 'work'...was not large enough to
let the warm moist air escape before it condensed.  I can't really
speculate, except that if the bees were wet before they died, that almost
surely is what killed them.

Don't get me wrong, I have known bees to survive thunderstorms and rain for
weeks, apparently without harm.  But that is far different from a cold drip
preventing them from shivering to maintain the cluster temperature.

There is no potential harm to the added ventilation, no downside.  At least
in your climate.  Try it.


Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner of Ross Rounds, manufacturer of comb honey equipment
for beekeepers and Sundance pollen traps.
http://www.rossrounds.com
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