470 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



osniPDraca m ®^[LD[F®^raD^ 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



There has, perhaps, never been a season 

 in California that showed such spotted re- 

 sults, even in reach of the orange belt, 

 where the bulk of the season's supply was 

 secured. This is due very largely to the 

 failure of the filaree to mature early enough 

 to aid spring breeding, owing to the ex- 

 treme dryness of the season up to March 1. 

 A few apiaries in reach of filaree in irrigat- 

 ed sections, or where willow or other plants 

 were available for an early suj^ply of pol- 

 len, built up rapidly with good results. 

 This only proves what I have previously 

 said, that bees travel a much greater dis- 

 tance when there is some special attraction 

 that excites the entire flight in one direc- 

 tion than they will where there is nothing 

 more than pollen or a hard-earned load of 

 nectar to be secured. 



The following records begin on April 26, 

 and were discontinued on May 2, owing to 

 unfavorable Aveather and little progress be- 

 ing made by the bees. On May 13 the 

 scales were moved to another colony, and 

 records carefully kept until May 28. The 

 object in this record was not so much to 

 ascertain what the daily increase was as to 

 test some theories of my own as well as 

 those of others, though the former was a 

 factor. The keeping of this daily record 

 has in some respects been a revelation to 

 me, and has disproven some ideas I had 

 held almost as law, and decidedly upset 

 some theories of others. I had always held 

 to the idea that the orange yields most on 

 moderately warm days — that is to say, 

 tliose days when bees could fly freely, but 

 when there was a lack of intense heat and 

 direct sunshine. To my surprise the best 

 record of any day was made with the tem- 

 perature running up to 96 degrees at 2 p.m. 

 The most ideal day, according to my pre- 

 vious notions, the temperature Avas about 

 75 degrees. The bees tumbled all over 

 themselves in alighting, there being a con- 

 stant stream crawling up the alighting- 

 board Avhere they missed the entrance; but 

 the record this day was three pounds short 

 of liigh-record day. So I learned that, 

 when bees come in apparently over-laden 

 with nectar, they are in reality no heavier 

 laden than when the weather is sufficiently 

 warm to enable them to alight promptly, 

 but are retarded in flight by being more or 

 less benumbed by cold nectar and air. The 

 amount stored after 12:30 p.m. was double 

 that of the forenoon, no matter how favor- 



able the weather. The highest record of any 

 day Avas IIV2 lbs. Only 4 lbs. had been 

 gathered u]) to 12:30 p.m. Another obser- 

 vation Avas that the heaviest gain was dur- 

 ing the last IV2 hours of the day ; also that, 

 during the first two hours of very favorable 

 days, the shrinkage was often greater than 

 the increase from the field. Arthur C. Mil- 

 ler says that the evaporation is greater up 

 to 2 A.M. than during the remainder of the 

 night. I find differently, in fact, under my 

 observation the evaporation Avas continuous 

 and nearly equal at all times, continuing 

 until far in the forenoon on foggy morn 

 ings. The early morning flight to the field 

 causes a noticeable decrease in Aveight. 

 Avhile at the day's end, Avith the retiring of 

 the Avorkers, it adds decidedly. On one cool 

 cloudy day, Avhen there was Avhat seemed to 

 be a fair flight, the evaporation of the i^re- 

 vious day's heaA^y gain was actually four 

 ounces more than Avas gathered all that day. 

 My conclusion Avas that the evaporation is 

 continuous until the final sealing of the 

 cells. 



I give beloAV the weights taken during 

 five successive days, with Aveather condi- 

 tions for each day: 



May 22, at daylight, Aveight 147 lbs. 



May 22, at dusk, weight 155^/4 lbs. 



Gain for the day, 8I/4 lbs.; partially 

 cloudy, with cool Avest wind. 



Daylight, May 23, 153% lbs. — a shrink- 

 age of IV2 lbs. for the night. 



Afternoon, May 23, weight 1641/2 lbs.— 

 gain for the day, 10% lbs. ; fine day. 



May 24, daylight, 162^ 2 "• shrinkage for 

 night, 2 lbs. 



At dusk, 1731/2 lbs. ; day's gain, 11 lbs. : 

 fine day. 



May 25, daylight, 1711/4 lbs. ; shrinkage. 

 21/4 lbs. At 12 :30 p.m., 170 lbs., showing a 

 loss of 11/4 lbs. for morning. Dusk, 171 

 lbs. ; loss for day i/4 lb. ; cloudy, dull, cool, 

 with fair flight during mid-day. 



May 26, daAvn, 169 lbs.; loss for night, 2 

 lbs. 



Note that the loss for the previous day 

 was 1/4 lb., and i^revious night 214 lbs., or a 

 total loss of 41/2 lbs. for 48 hours. Though 

 the flight on the 25th seemed to be fair, the 

 Aveight did not come Avith it, indicating that 

 the workers, after a short time in the field, 

 returned more to Avarm u]) than because of 

 being honey-laden. 



Dusk, May 26, Aveight 177 lbs. — a gain 

 for the day of 8 lbs. ; cloudy, clear after ■ 

 noon, with heavy flight forenoon. 



