I'm starting this thread in the Bee Removal forum because I want to get comments from those who does bee removals.
Lately I've read many threads on wintering, hive ventilation and insulation.
For those folks here that remove bees or have seen where feral colonies live, what's your comments on 1) ventilation and 2) insulation?
From my removals, I don't see much or any ventilation on the locations some of these feral colonies lived.
Some probably had zero ventilation while I'm sure had some. So if the feral bees, especially those that have lived there for many years and have overwintered with no issues, why are we so worried about venting our hives?
How do feral bees in wall deal with moisture?
Insulation, living in walls and eves and such, is probably well insulated, at least better than our lang hives.
So why aren't we designing our hives to something like one that a feral colony has moved into, a wall or something that's well insulated without vent?
(Could still be designed with ease of management)