Hubby likely needs to forget a lot that he would have been told 40 years ago.
There are lots on here that still operate that way, but they are slowly being sussed by the new beeks (I hope).
Apart from the added dimension of varroa, things have got simpler since back then. OMFs have largely replaced solid floors so no other ventilation at all is required at any time. Proper insulation is being used, rather than the meagre carpet tiles and old newspapers back then. One or two new hive developments but nothing radical - the National is still in use as it was 40 years ago - apart from some wacky ideas (wacky here not particularly referring to backy!).
The larger National format (14 x12) has been adopted by many and one or two of us have changed to the more sensible top bee space, like the Langstroth has used for 150 years.
So beekeeping in this century is basically simple, even though some try their hardest to harp back to the dinosaur period when they were mistaught.
RAB
(One of the few posters that will tell you the truth without wrapping it up in cotton wool)