Cheer up ... all year beekeeping coming soon

[SDM]

I would think if the people working there could manage so could the bees.
Isn't increased Co2 levels in queens an important part of successful.mating ?

[prakel]

CO2.

Maybe not directly relevant as no doubt there would be steps taken to regulate the CO2 in such a structure, but this is quite interesting:

west lafayette, ind. - rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have reduced protein in goldenrod pollen, a key late-season food source for north american bees, a purdue university study shows.

Researchers found that the overall protein concentration of goldenrod pollen fell about one-third from the onset of the industrial revolution to the beginning of the 21st century.

Previous studies have shown that increases in carbon dioxide can lower the nutritional value of plants such as wheat and rice - staple crops for much of the global human population - but this study is the first to examine the effects of rising co2 on the diet of bees.

rising co2 levels reduce protein in crucial pollen source for bees. Purdue university agriculture news, april 13, 2016.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...4yYD4QN_oNZmvw

There was also some interesting continental research a few years ago which looked at the role of heightened CO2 levels in aiding colonies to winter by effectively keeping them 'quiet' (I'd need to dig around a little to find an active link to that one).

[fatshark]

-4 Centigrade this morning in Fife ... no problems keeping my colonies quiet

[prakel]

Again, not directly applicable to the all-year bee room but always fascinating to look at other related experiences, Ian Steppler (the Canadian who's blog and wintering shed videos I've linked in the past) has recently started a CO2 thread on Beesource:

CO2 is an important factor when wintering honeybees. They use it as part of their dormancy control and maintain a certain elevated level of it within their insulating shell, 1700ppm had been suggested.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...ring-Honeybees

[alancooper]

In the Beesource shed blog, there was the comment - " Too much air movement within the room can disrupt the hives CO2 shed and interfere with dormancy." Mmmmmm.....another constraint to beekeeping in the windy West and North here?