True it has an effect. So i looked into that one in detail (a while ago)... its enthalpy is quite small in comparison. Vaporisation of the water makes it look negligible. And the difference in molar wt means the impact on the concentration by weight is also small as well. So the energy for vaporisation has to come mostly from somewhere else.
I knew that the energy of vaporisation would be large, but I'm a little surprised it's that overpowering. Well no point playing with that one any more.
What I'm finding out is that temperatures inside the hive are far from homogeneous even in a poly hive, and vary in both time and space a lot. I've been trying to find a way to avoid detailed calculations by using the law of conservation of energy in the same tricky ways physicists do.
Has anyone published detailed temperature data? I'm thinking something like a 4x4x4 grid of temperature sensors with doubled sensors on the outer walls to give detailed outer surface and inner surface data. Compiled over a year at five minute intervals that would make a very interesting data set but probably quite manageable with today's desktop computers.
You could have the computer do brute force integrations day by day and see just how much energy is coming through the walls under all the various weathers and with all the various bee activities. If those numbers turn out to be too low to affect nectar reduction, that's the end of it.
If not, then there are many ways to go... computer controlled heaters, louver systems, aluminized mylar on the hive and other forms of solar reflectors both built in and standoff. Maybe even forced ventilation.
Reliability will be a big issue, you wouldn't want to lose all your hives to a power failure. Expense is another biggie, no point in achieving perfect temp control if the cost is hundreds of euros per hive.
So much to think about, so many things that could go wrong or that bees might dislike.
Thanks for the book reference. I don't have access to a university library, but I'll see what the local has.
