406 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



TABLE — Showing tlie average Temperature and Relative Humidity during the Winter 

 Months, also the Monthly difference from the average, and the total difference for the winter months 

 at the respective Stations durmg the winter of 1880-81. 



c o 



NAME 



OF 



STATION. 



O h ^ 





=:? = 



< 



Deg. 



Denver, Col.... '32. 5 51. 

 NewLonclon,Ct;31 .571 . 

 Bismarck, Dak. !l4. 180. 

 Dead wood , Dak 26 . 2 63 . 

 Pembina, Dak.i 6.4 91 

 Yankton, Dak. 122.2 67. 



Cairo, 111 J40.8 72. 



Champaign, 111. 130.8 69 

 Chicago, Ill....'30.0-" 

 Ind'napolis,Ind 34.4 

 DesMoines, Ioa:28.0 

 Dubuque, Iowa26.5 

 Keokuk, Iowa. '31.1 

 DodgeCity,Kasl33.9 

 LeavenVth,Ks*32.9 



Eastport,Me... 24.2 

 Portland, Me .. 28.0 

 Boston, Mass . . 29.7 

 Spr'field, Mass. 130.0 

 Detroit, Mich.. 28.4 

 Escanal(a,Michll9.2 

 GrHaven,Mich28.3 

 Marquett, Michi21.2 

 Pr.Huron,Michl26.2 

 Dulutli, Minn.. 118.1 

 Mooreird,Minn|10.7 

 St. Paul, Minn. 20.6 72 

 FAssimb.Mont 20.9:60 

 F.Benton,Mouti20.9 68 



DECEMBER, 



1880. 



2- to 



as 



Deg. 



- 0. 



- 3. 

 -10. 



- 4. 



- 3. 



.3!— 6. 



.4— 5. 

 8 — 7 

 7i— 5. 



6— 8 

 0-4 



6-7 

 ol 4 



el— 6 



5-4 



ffi !:0 





S^UARY, 



H > 



o 



+ 8.0 

 0.2' 



+ 5.4' 

 4.8 



+ 3.1 

 1.6 

 0.7 

 4.8 



— 3. 



— 1.6 

 0+ 1.2 



rt.Keogh,Mont 

 Helena,N,Mont 

 N.Platte, Neb. . 

 Omaha, Neb. . . 

 Albany, N.Y.. 

 Buflfalo, N. Y . . 

 New York.N. Y 

 Oswego, N.Y. . 

 Cincinnati, O. . 

 Cleveland, O... 

 Columbus, O. . . 



Erie, Pa 



Philadelpha.Pa 

 Pittsburg, Pa. . 

 Newport, R. I.. 

 Burlington, Vt. 

 La Crosse, Wis. 

 Madison, Wis. 



20.968. 

 24.4!64. 

 27.864. 

 27.7,70. 

 27.269. 

 27.7,77. 

 32.9i75. 

 28.872. 

 38.2 67. 

 30.076. 

 34.6170, 

 31.0 77, 



34.8 



33.8 



33.3 



24.6 



24.1170 



25.7i73 



— 



— 2 



— 4 

 4 

 5 

 3 

 4 



— 3 

 5 

 4 



Milwaukee, WiS|25. 5 

 Cheyenne, Wy. 28.7 

 Toronto, Can ..125.2 



77.8 



— 1 



2 



— 7 



— 0.7 

 + 1.3 

 + 1.5 



+ ~ " 



— 4.8 

 + 9.0 



— o 

 —13 

 —12 



— 7 

 —13 



— 7 



— 6 



— 3 



— 6 



— 5 



— 4 



— 5 



— 6 



— 7 



— 7 



— 5 



— 5 



— 4 



— 4 



— 6 



— 7 



— 5 

 + 



— 4 



Deg. 



- 1 



- 4 



- 8 



- 7. 



- 5 

 -10. 



- 7. 



- 4. 



- 6. 

 -» 6. 







FEBRUARY, 



1881. 



d; to 



6g 



Deg. 

 0+ 7.3— 3.: 



&— 2.9+ 

 6:+ 8.6— 3 



«a 



£s 

 Sa 



7+13.9 

 - 0.7 



+ 



+ 5. 



0. 



4+ 6. 



— 7.2 

 6 

 7 

 3 



0— 1.0 



9+8,5 

 ,6+ 7.2, 

 4+ 7.9 

 4!— 18 



3 



3 











4 



3.61 

 - 1.7! 

 + 1.7 

 -- 1.4 

 -- 0.6 

 -- 2.6 

 4!-- 2.5 



.8— 1.8 

 .7-1- 3.7 

 .5— 0.8 

 .2+ 0.6' 

 .51^ 1.3, 

 3+ 5.01 



7 

 7 



- 6 



- 2 



- 1 



- 4 



- 5 



- 7 



- 8 



- 6 



- 7 



- 6 



- 7 



- 4 



- 7 



- 5 



- 3 

 -11 



- 5 



- 7 

 -10 



- 3 



- 6 



- 4 



- 5 



- 4 



- 6 



- 7 



- 5 



- 4 



- 3 



- 4 



- 5 



- 8 



- 9 



- 5 



- 1 



- 6 



2 + 

 3 



4.4 

 0.5 



3 11— 

 6.3 — 

 0.6 — 

 0.3 

 3.7 



— 2.5+12. 

 + 2.' 



— 7, 



2.5 



— 1.8 

 + 0.3 



— 3.0 



— 3.2 



— 5.2 



— 3.7 

 + 0.6 

 + 4.2 



— 1.7 



— 1.4 

 81— 1.7 

 3+ 2.1 

 2—13.7 

 4— 0.1 

 6+ 4.8 



MARCH, 



I88I. 



Eg 

 ta 



O 

 C »- 



fflis 



^ CD 



£2 

 da 



5 



+ 1 

 + 2 

 

 1 

 

 4 

 3 

 5 

 3 

 2 

 5 



,7 

 ,5' 

 ,3l 

 .7-0 

 .9+1 

 .1I+ 4 

 .Oj+ 

 .9 + 



:St 



■5 + 

 .31+ 



■7 — 

 •7 + 

 ■3 + 

 0,+ 



-5.5- 



+ 

 + 



-2.6 + 



Deg. 



— 1. 



+ 1-7| 



+ 1.5 

 2— 1.3 

 0+ 5.2 



— 7.31 + 

 2.5 — 

 4.2' 

 3^3 

 3.8 

 7.0 

 3.3 

 4.5 

 2.5 

 4.0 



+ 4.3 

 + 5.1 

 + 1.9 

 + 1.1 

 + 0.9 

 + 1.0 



— 0.9 



— 0.4 



— 1.4 

 + 3.0 



— 0.3 



+ 3.11— 



+ 7-4i— 1 

 + 9.8+ 



+ 3.8:— 10 

 0.9+ 2 

 1.0— 3 

 1.8;- 1 

 1.3— 1 



WINTER OF 



1881. 



03 S - 



o,ti» 



OJ 0) C 

 CH >2, 



|£ 



Deg. 

 7—1.7 

 5—1.8 

 0—5.2 



— 3.8 



+ 



7 + 



9+13 

 2+10 



2.1 

 + 2.7 

 + 1.2 

 + 5.5 



— 0.1 

 + 4.1 



— 0.5 



— 2.1 

 + 4.6 



'^l- 



+ 0.2 

 - 1.3;- 



+ 2.0I- 



+ 3 

 1 



-- 3 

 o 



2 

 5 

 4 

 1 



.0 



.1 



.1 



.3 



.91+13.3 



.9 + 4.5 



.61- 4. 



.2|— 1.8 

 7;— 8.2 

 7I+ 3.9 



3 

 



+ 2 

 5 

 2, 

 3 

 5, 

 3 

 3, 

 4 

 2 

 8, 



•2+4 

 8+0 



5+3 



•1+1 

 0+ 4 

 •7+ 3 

 .2+5 

 .3+2 

 .8!+ 4 



1.4 + 0, 

 5.4 + 3 



— 5 

 + 1 

 -- 7, 

 --12 

 --11 



— 2 



— 4 



— 3 

 + 3 



1 



— 2.4 

 + 0.8 



— 2.3 



— 2.7 



— 4.0 



— 2.2 



— 1.2 



— 1.8 

 + 0.5 

 + 2.1 



— 1.9 



— 5.1 



— 1.3 

 + 0.3 

 + 0.9 



+ 4. 



+n 



6, 



+8. 

 +0. 

 +5- 

 +7. 

 0. 



K 



+0. 

 —5.2—1. 



■5.8!+2, 

 ■7.2 -1-3. 



+1. 



+0 



—3.8 

 —0.3 

 —7.8 

 —4.6 

 —5.7 



■Z<o 



€a 

 5 



—6.2 

 —5.7 

 —6.1 

 —6.0 

 +0.5 

 +1.0 

 —1.8 

 —2.7 

 —3.2 

 —3.8 

 —3.6 

 —4.2 

 —4.1 

 —2.8 

 —3.2 

 —3.4 

 —4.5 

 —0.8 

 —3.9 

 —3.4 

 —5.8 

 —8.8 

 0.0 

 —4.7 

 —2.9 

 —2.7 

 —3.6 

 —4.9 

 —5.8 

 —4.6 

 —3.8 

 —3.4 

 —2.7 



2 2 



—5^5 



—7, 



—3.6 



—0.3 



—3.2 



— 1. 

 — 0.! 



+0.! 

 o 



+^ 

 +4. 

 +1- 

 +0. 

 — 0. 

 +5. 

 —9. 

 +0. 

 +6. 

 +2. 

 +5. 

 -0, 

 +7. 

 +7. 

 +!• 

 +!■ 

 +2, 

 +3, 

 +0. 

 +5 

 --3 

 --3 

 __2 



--2, 

 --2 

 --0 

 --4 

 -1 

 +1 

 +4 

 +3 



less capacity for evaporating the water 

 from the bees, and may be incapable of 

 taking up the larger quantity produced in 

 consequence of the low temperature, unless 

 the air is undergoing constant change by 

 proper ventilation. This evil will be very 

 seriously increased, if the external air is 

 already overloaded with vapor, for the 

 more humid the air the less its capacity for 

 absorbing more water. But a moist exter- 

 nal air increases the trouble in another 

 way. We all know that the cold of a damp 

 day is more felt than that of a colder dry 



one, because the humid air, being a better 

 conductor, the heat of the body is carried 

 otf more rapidly, and so with regard to the 

 bees. A damp external atmosphere tends 

 to reduce their temperature still lower, and 

 aggravates the evil first mentioned. 



If these views are correct, the losses in 

 1880-81, in some parts of the country (the 

 eastern part of the State of Maine for 

 instance), should not have been niiicli 

 greater than usual, because there the table 

 shows the temperature and humidity were 

 about normal. Dr. Tinker collected more 



information regarding the 

 losses of bees and the attend- 

 ant circumstances that sea- 

 son than any other ])rivate 

 bee-keeper. "Probably his re- 

 ports would show the locali- 

 ties in which the losses were 

 least, and those in which tliey 

 vs'ere greatest. It would be 

 interesting to know if a com- 

 parison of his reports with 

 the table will show that the 

 localities in which the losses 

 were heaviest correspond 

 with those in which the hu- 

 midity was greatest. If the 

 reports collected by the editor 

 of the Bee Jouiinal were 

 classified, as to the humidity 

 of different localities, I dare 

 say they would throw light on 

 this branch of the subject. 



In connection with the fore- 

 going table, I invite attention 

 to the statement that " in 

 winters, when the cold oc- 

 curred early, the mortality 

 commenced at an early peri- 

 od ; if late, the bees did not 

 appear diseased till near the 

 end of the winter." In this 

 part of the country it was 

 just the reverse in 1880-81, 

 and I would almost venture 

 to say that the reports will 

 show that such was the case 

 generally. The table shows 

 that the cold was most intense 

 in December and January, 

 and that it moderated in 

 February and March ; but 

 that, as it did so, the humid- 

 ity increased to excess in the 

 two latter months. On the 

 6th of March, I had 4 colo- 

 nies dead, out of 44 packed 

 in chaff, on Mr. Townley's 

 plan. Before the swarming 

 season came around, I had 

 only 13 good ones and 6 nu- 

 clei left. The report of Mr. 

 Geo. Garlick (page 158, Bee 

 Journal for 1881), whose 

 apiary is located about 50 

 miles east of this place, very 

 fairly shows how the bees 

 died in this part of Canada. 

 On Feb. 1, he had 137 alive, 

 out of 140, on their summer 

 stands, some being packed in 

 sawdust. On March 1, he 

 had 88 alive ; on the 6tli, 62 ; 

 on the 15th, 55; on the 1st 

 of April, 42 ; on the lOtli, 12, 

 and on the 6th of May, only 

 7 were left of the whole lot. 



From an inspection of the 

 table one would think it 

 should not be much of a trick 

 to winter bees in some locali- 

 ties, the neighborhood of 

 Cincinnati for example. The 

 ventilation and protection 

 sufficient for hives in that 

 locality would be quite inade- 

 quate for the climate of Port 

 Huron or Toronto ; the aver- 

 age winter temperature at 

 these points being about 13*^ 

 colder, and the average rela- 

 tive humidity beuigover80°, 

 while at Cincinnati it is less 

 than 68-J. 



