Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association

Ventilation

Constant movement of air through the colony is necessary every day of the year. 

Think of the colony as being a chimney:  Air enters through the screen bottom board, rises up through the hive bodies that form the brood chamber, moves up through any honey supers that are on the colony, passes through openings in the inner cover, and leave the colony through the opening created by the placement of a twig between the back edge of the inner cover and the underside of the outer, telescoping cover.

Failure to provide adequate ventilation during the winter months can lead to condensation inside the colony that freezes and kills the bees.