Hi Judy. I remember hearing that one of the problems they had in that experiment was a lack of sufficient pollination. The bees did not last long, I guess. Not surprising. Don't know if it was mite-related, or just that the bees were stuck in that big structure. That alone would do alot of them in. Bees are sometimes used in greenhouses for cucumber pollination, and have to be replaced from time to time as the mortality is high. Many are probably lost from smashing into the glass in attempts to get through. I don't know how economically viable such an arrangement is. It would certainly allow control over the pollen being transferred (anyway). I wonder if there are beekeepers whose businesses are centered on supplying bees to greenhouses for such purposes.(?) >Pardon my ignorance, but that infamous Biosphere experiment - did they >attempt any beekeeeping? For those of us with very difficult winter >weather, would it be possible - sane - to keep bees in a large greenhouse >with bee forage plants? Or is this an absurd idea? Would the milder, >artificial climate stress the bees unnecessarily? How large an area would >work? > > >Judy, A Displaced Texan in PA >IRON ACRES: Where the water is red & the grass is green! >And the soap is handmade from goat milk.