GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



April, 1920 



grees with a slight wind than at 50 degrees 

 and almost no wind. The condition of cloudi- 

 ness has much to do with it, also. 



The outstanding feature of the proposi- 

 tion is this: Every year during the month 

 of November (1910 excepted) during the 

 past 10 years our bees have had a flight be- 

 fore being put in the cellar. I did not keep 

 temperature figures previous to 1914, but I 

 do know that the bees had their flight. Also, 

 in order to make the graph as uniform as 

 possible, I am taking the records of the 

 Weather Bureau as a basis, as my tempera- 

 ture records vary slightly from theirs, proba- 

 bly because of a less efficient thermometer, 

 mine reading slightly higher. This period 

 I have found to be between Nov. 10th and 

 20th. However, the rule may fail, say once 

 in 10 years. Therefore, if the bees would 

 secure a good flight between the 5th and 

 10th of November, I would not wait for an- 

 other chance. But inasmuch as the rule 

 given has failed only once in 10 years (in 

 1910), it seems safe to say that a beekeeper 

 can expect to secure a flight for his bees 



MOVEMBEfi 10 TO ZO. 



SfiAfH SHowime fosiiBuC ri.i*nrj frcm 'tof ro /»/», 



some time between Nov. 5 and 20 everj^ 

 year in this section of the country. 



How to Use the Weather Bureau. ~~ 

 Now, supi^osing your bees secured no 

 flight from Nov. 1 to 15 don't shudder and 

 fret about it. From the first of November 

 and until the bees are in the cellar, it is 

 advisable to be in constant communication 

 with the nearest U. S. Weather Bureau. The 

 service is so liberal that the forecaster will 

 write you a personal letter every day for 

 two weeks if necessary. However, this may 

 never be necessary, for he can forecast the 

 weather with certainty farther ahead than 

 24 hours. In the first place, he has clima- 

 tological data covering the past 46 years 

 and can determine in how many years a tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees and over has occurred 

 on a particular day in all these years. It 

 might be surprising to say that in this lo- 

 cality there has been a temperature, after 

 November 20th, of 50 degrees and above 

 only 8 times in the past 46 years. The Wea- 

 ther Bureau is authority for this. So you 

 see the dates, Nov. 5 to 

 20, are a safe range to go 

 by in waiting for a flight. 

 Again, the forecaster 

 is in constant communica- 

 tion with all other sta- 

 tions in the U. S. and 

 Canada. He can, there- 

 fore, with certainty fore- 

 cast the temperature and 

 weather conditions for a 

 week in advance. In fact, 

 I have had the Weather 

 Bureau give me the prob- 

 able weather for 10 

 days in advance, and am 

 happy to say that the 

 forecast was completely 

 verified. In fact, I con- 

 sider this one forecast 

 worth many hundred dol 

 lars to me. The bees were 

 put in the cellar and had 

 no other opportunity for 

 a cleansing flight that 

 fall. Zero temperatures 

 were encountered soon 

 after. Surelj'^, the fore 

 cast was worth a great 

 deal financially. 



Each fall and spring 1 

 am in constant communi- 

 cation with the Weather 

 Bureau. In fact, I know 

 the probable temperatures 

 that are likely to exist at 

 least 72 hours in advance. 

 In the fall of 1919, this 

 service was certainly 

 worth much. The bees 

 were put in the cellar on 

 Nov. 19. Temperatures 

 dropped daily after this 

 date, and by Dec. 1 we 

 had zero weather, and 



