> I reread  Jay Smith's book on queen rearing several times.
> In the  book he states the following:
> <A small mating hive should not have a ventilator, as the air will  blow 
> in
> through it and cause <the bees to realize their weakness and they  will
> abscond.

Not having read the book in question, I am answering from my own 
experiences.

First up how small is small?  What size nuc, what size frames and how many?

I use what I call mini nucs which is four (4) nucs in a box which are 
separated by metal divides.  It would hold six (6) normal length frames but 
we run the frames the other way.  It is based on the experiences over many 
years of Norm Rice, now retired, who was one of the most innovative queen 
bee breeders in Australia.  Each nuc holds three (3) frames which are full 
depth ( about 9 inches) and half length ( about 9 1/2 inches).  They hold 
together very well.  To winter, I just pull out the divides and run it as a 
12 frame nuc with one queen.  Each nuc has a ventilation hole about one (1) 
inch wide with mesh with two(2) mm holes over it.  The entrance is down the 
bottom and is about one (1) inch long and about 3/8 inch high.

I believe the ventilation is necessary to assist the bees.  How climate is 
probably hotter than ours.  At present we are getting days around 33-36 
degrees centrigrade and nights about 20-23.

> What's  the opinion out there from your experience nowadays
> Are  ventilators necessary or is the -half inch entrance hole on an angle 
> in
> the  middle as he states -enough.

Is this entrance in the middle, meaning height wise?  If so, I would 
recommend that you have the entrance at floor level.  If the entrance is 
half way up the side, then the bees find it very hard to get rid of hive 
debris and any water will pond in the bottom of the nuc.  If it is at floor 
level, they can remove debris very easily and water runs out.

FWIW.

Trevor Weatherhead
Hoping you have looked at www.apimondia2007.com

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