>
> >My understanding is that they actually pass their load to a house bee
> somewhere in the vicinity of the bottom board or deposit it in an
> empty cell in the brood area, then whizz off to gather some more.


This is what I also *understand* the process to be.

I've long been curious about top ventilation, but haven't taken the time to
experiment.  In the arid West, we don't have the problems with summer
humidity and the ripening of honey.  My own hives, in dark-colored boxes,
fare well in our hot summers even when stacked high, with only a bottom
entrance.

However, I can feel the intense heat load under the hive cover, and on the
sides of the hives facing the sun.  Weak colonies definitely benefit from
shade, but I don't know whether there is actual benefit to strong colonies
by giving them top ventilation.  I've seen that it is common in Australia to
use ventilated covers.

This is one of those cases where it makes perfect sense to provide
ventilation to allow the hot air to naturally thermosiphon.  However, I've
learned not to trust *common sense* in bee management.

Although I very much enjoy hearing everyone's opinion, surely someone must
have at one time or another put the top (summer) entrance question to the
test in a controlled trial.  Can anyone offer any hard data?

Randy Oliver

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned 
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html