What I wrote: "Dave and Jerry seemed to support the idea (if I follow their
posts correctly),"

What Lloyd read: "Well, Aaron seemed to say that the comments by Mike, Jim,
and perhaps others..."

What Lloyd wrote: "With regard to Killion, he wanted 'follower boards' along
all (4) sides of supers for very good reason..."

Killion's comb supers have air space on all 4 sides, he uses follower boards
in the brood chambers as we have been discussing.  Killion does NOT have the
extra air space between hive walls and end boards of the frames in his brood
chambers.

What I wrote regarding 'do follower boards prevent inner cover condensation
as claimed by the BC article?':
"I am willing to accept that the benefits alluded to in the BC article can
be achieved even though it is a passive construct in the winter (no bees are
fanning).  This is far from scientific proof, but I'd be at least inclined
to accept what the author claimed as a definite possibility."

Lloyd wrote: "... sure there is convection (as claimed in the BC article)
but not because of the follower boards and not in a manner to avoid
precipitation against the inner cover.  Moreover, the convection is almost
undoubtedly against all four sides of the hive and not just those that have
follower boards."

This dismisses the difference between the end bars of the frames and the
front and back of a hive from the "dead air" space between the follower
board and the sides of the hives.  I know that bees do not heat the entire
volume of the space within the hive.  But there IS a dead air space between
the follower board and the sides of a hive where there is NO dead air space
between the end bars of the frames and the front and back of the hives.  The
front and back of the hive are actively included withing the convective
currents caused by the cluster, whereas the sides of the hives have the
barrier of the follower board removing them from the active convective
currents, setting up what I referred to as a "passive space".  I do not have
sensors inside my hives to measure the air currents between the passive
space between follower boards and hive sides to contrast with air currents
between end bars and front and back of the hives.  I doubt the questions has
ever been examined at that level.

> Moreover, in a private message (so I will not quote it here) Jerry
> Bromenshenk at the University of Montana said much the same.
If you won't share, I can't comment.

> I certainly don't think it unusual that Aaron and I reached different
> conclusions based on what was said...
Or what was not said, but perceived.  But agreed, no surprizes.

> I think the 'conclusion' that started
> this discussion (follower boards
> lead to redirecting warm humid air flow)
> is all too typical of successful beekeepers.
> I.E. they find something that works for them
> and from that draw (unsupported) conclusions
> that they consider gospel.
I assume this is in reference to the author of the BC article.  I had never
even thought about the possibility of condensation on the hive sides
mentioned in the BC article until Lloyd's post.  Seems Lloyd had was already
convinced the claim was perposterous when he posted to BEE-L.  Gospel?  "I
am willing to accept that the benefits alluded to in the BC article can be
achieved even though it is a passive construct in the winter (no bees are
fanning).  This is far from scientific proof, but I'd be at least inclined
to accept what the author claimed as a definite possibility."  A definite
possibility is not gospel.  This is not a possibility that I'd be inclined
to defend with much vigor.  Truth be told, I have a hard time believing it
myself.  Seems to me that condensation would take place at the first cold
surface encountered (which would be the inner cover).  But a claim that the
cooler, still moist air will fall into the passive space between follower
board and hive walls, and condensation will take place there does not strike
me as immediately dismissable.  Such a claim certainly would not have me
jump to equip all my hives with follower boards.  I'll continue to use them
for the benefit they give in room to move during hive manipulations.

Aaron Morris - thinking I didn't say what Lloyd said I said!

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