Hi Guys, I must defer to those with more feral hive experience than I concerning feral hive entrances. Very few ferals can survive here so I don't have much experience with them. My basis for a swarm's preferring a bottom entrance was research done by Morse and continued by Seeley at Cornell U. The great variety of management techniques that are applied to our bees are an indication of how adaptable bees are. Many survive inspite of us. :>) Upper ventilation is touted as a cure for excessive winter moisture. I wonder how many hives have problems with this? Regards Dennis :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::