In a message dated 8/9/99 9:06:39 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Question: Do I have to make it totally opaque? This will be expensive. Can
 bees do well in a transluscent beehive? >>

   Wouldn't you have a "greenhouse effect?"  Cooked bees?

   The inside of my car, on a 100 degree (F) day, is hot enough to burn your
hands on the steering wheel. I would guess 140, or more.  My solution, as
much as possible, is to park it in the shade and leave the windows cracked.
But bees can't move their home around to follow shade. A wooden box is too
hot in full sun, here in South Carolina.  On a hive with windows.......?

    I've noticed, in transporting our observation hive, that the bees get
*real* excited fast, if the sun is allowed to shine on the glass. I suspect
the temperature goes up within minutes, and if I didn't take action, would
quickly kill the bees.

Dave Green    Hemingway, SC   USA
The Pollination Home Page:     http://www.pollinator.com
The Pollination Scene:   http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html

Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles):
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm