> Hello,
>
> The Museum of Natural History in Nova Scotia is considering setting up
> a demonstration bee hive the help visitors learn about bees,
> pollination and insects in general.  Does anyone have any references,
> advice or experiences with demonstration hives set up indoors?  We
> were wondering things like:
>
> How far are bees willing to travel, say through a plexiglass tube, to
> reach the outdoors?
>
> How do they react to lighting of the hive interior (eg. through
> plexiglass sides) or movement of people near the hive?
>
> Has anyone had success overwintering bees indoors (we're at
> Lat. 44 00 00)?
>
> Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Please reply
> directly to me, or to the list if you think your information may be of
> wider interest.
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Calum Ewing
> Registrar
> Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> URL:  http://rs6000.nshpl.library.ns.ca/nsmuseum/summer.html
>
Twenty-five years ago while teaching elementary school in Columbia, Maryland
I constructed my first of several observation hives for three different schools.
I had an unusual situation (problem) to solve.  The observation hive had to be
in the Media Center which had no outside wall or windows.  I was told to put
the observation in the center of a large room on a table.  The only outlet
was straight up 15 feet through the ceiling and roof cut by the maintenence
men. Using gray plastic water pipe one and one half inch in diameter, I fasten
ed one end to the hive and the other had two elbows so no rain could fall in.
The inverted C shape outlet and all joints were fastened by friction and
screws for ease in removal and inspection.  The hive made with one quarter
plexiglass (thinner tends to concave and loses bee space) was two deep frames
wide and three high with four vent holes, two on each end of the finished
2x4 lumber covered with window screen inside and heavy hardware cloth on the
outside. The heavy duty outside was to prevent damage by students. All was
set up the last of August and was stable on the table.  The Ob. H. was charged
at my home and set up in the Media Center and the trap door (a sheet of plastic
)was opened and then the fun started.  After a short time the bee started to
go up the pipe and I could see they were blown down.  What to do? I had some
window screen and no tin shears so I used large school scissors to cut strips
that were the length of the screen and fitted easily into the tube after the
sections were stapled with school stapler.  On the hot roof I dismantled the
C section and inserted the screen strip down to the Ob. H. and the ladder
worked.  I painted the worker bees on the thorax and proved that my bees
knew their home and the children observed and commented on it and on the
fact that there was no queen.  They watched the progress as well as the
curious teachers of the bees construct two queen cells and the emerging
queen that ruled the colony while the workers propolized enough of the four
to their liking in the air conditioned school without the interior wall
to divide each classroom.  I proved in my first Ob. H. that bees will go a
to unusual lengths (or heights) to gather nectar and pollen.  The colony
swarmed ? absconded ? the second season and the travelers returned much
to the delight of the worried principal and bewildered me.  I had a sugar
feeding jar on top next to the exit pipe.  Please excuse my typing errors.
It seems my computer is duplicating some of my first sentences and making
garbage of my typing.
        ************************************************
                John Romanik BBKM  #l03
                3200 Pine Orchard Lane
                Ellicott City, Maryland 21042
                email   [log in to unmask]
                15 miles west of Baltimore
        39 degrees north of the Equator
        *************************************************o.org