64 NATURE 
[Marcu 21, 1917 
No doubt the extremely bad effect of low 
day temperature on a weak colony is occasioned 
by the necessity on such days for the bulk of the 
population to stay at home and keep up the tem- 
perature, or, alternatively, the loss of brood by 
chilling. 
Of course, the influence of the weather is felt 
in two distinct ways. There is the effect on the 
bees themselves, regulating the numbers that are 
able to leave the hive, and also the influence on 
the flowers, occasioning a variation in the amount 
of nectar secreted. 
It is generally held that warm, moist nights 
are favourable to the secretion of nectar, but 
although my results show that more honey was 
secured when the previous night’s temperature 
was high, yet when we remember that the ex- 
tremely low temperatures occurred when there 
were few flowers in bloom, the evidence is not 
sufficient to enable us definitely to state that warm 
nights induce a flow of nectar. 
There is much less disparity in the results under 
this head than with any other elements, the results 
being for temperatures under 50°, 0-542 lb. and 
0147 lb.; for those from 50° to 57°, 0-716 lb. and 
0:343 lb.; and for those above 57°, 1-150 lb. and 
0-775 |b. 
Some time ago an undoubted authority on bee- 
keeping gave it as his opinion that there was very 
rarely a flow of honey during the prevalence of 
an east wind. In order to gain some evidence 
on this head, I divided the tables of the direction 
of the wind into two parts, the first showing 
easterly winds, including all winds blowing from 
the north to south-south-east, the other including 
all winds blowing from the south to north-north- 
(vest. The result shows a decided advantage in 
favour of the easterly winds, the returns being 
50 per cent. more in the case of the strong stock, 
and 25 per cent. in that of the weak one. It is 
not difficult to find the reason for this, for when 
the wind is in the west or south-west, other condi- 
tions are unfavourable, they being generally 
accompanied by cloudy skies and  showery 
weather. On the other hand, the highest average 
of gains occurs when the wind is due north-east, 
such winds bringing dry, cloudless weather in 
most Cases. 
Of more importance is the strength of the wind. 
The average results when the wind was light or 
moderate in force were in both cases more than 
four times better than when the wind was blowing 
freshly. 
In this case the strong stock suffered more than 
the weak one, the only instance where the weak 
stock proved superior. From this I conclude that 
the strong stock, being able to send out a larger 
proportion of foragers, suffered proportionately 
heavier losses of bees. The slightest difference in 
the time taken by an individual bee to return 
to its hive must have a great effect when we con- 
sider the thousands of journeys made in a day. 
Moreover, the more slowly the insects fly, the 
more liable are they to fall a prey to predatory 
birds. Many are no doubt blown to the ground 
NO. 2212, VOL. 89] 
by gusts of wind and become chilled before they 
have recovered strength to rise again. It is also 
certain that some, foraging on the extreme edge 
of the usual mile radius, are blown out of their 
course into regions unknown to them, and are un- 
able to find their way back again. I am of opinion 
that on days when the wind blows strongly the 
hive entrances should be shaded, so as to tempt 
the bees out as little as possible, unless the hives 
are so situated that the bees have their foraging 
ground immediately around them, such as on a 
moor or in a clover field. If they have to fly high 
or travel far for their supplies, the gain of honey, 
if any, will be more than counterbalanced by a 
great loss of bees. 
By far the most important element in the 
weather is the degree of sunshine. Warmth, dry- 
ness, stillness are all favourable to the increase of 
the colonies, but without bright sunshine the best 
results cannot be secured. 
During the whole period there were fourteen 
days on which the sky was completely overcast, 
and the average for those days showed a net loss 
of 0-053 lb. in the strong colony, and 0-146 lb. in 
the weak one; whereas the average gain when at 
least a part of the day was quite clear was more 
than 1} lb. in No. 1, and a trifle under 1 Ib. in 
No. 2. There were twenty-four days when the sky 
was intermittently overcast, and in both cases the 
average is below the mean of the whole period. 
The reason for this is that bees in the open fields 
when the sun is shining hurry home as soon as a 
cloud comes up. Sometimes, in the height of the 
honey flow, a cloud passing over the sun will 
bring them home at such a rate that on one or 
two such occasions I have gone out, thinking they 
were swarming. 
I am a great advocate of placing hives where 
they will get the maximum sunshine, and I never 
allow any permanent shade near them, believing 
that every gleam of sunshine is gain to the hives. 
If it happens that the weather is cold in the early 
spring, or a strong wind blowing, it is easy to 
prop a board over the entrance to keep them in, 
but it is not so easy to take away a permanent 
sun-excluder on favourable days. 
The tables showing the gains under varying 
degrees of humidity do not reveal any preponder- 
ance in favour of either a high or low rate of 
moisture. As I mentioned before, some believe 
that warm, moist nights are favourable to the 
secretion of nectar, and I hope in the course of 
the experiments I make in the coming season to 
be able to gain some definite knowledge regarding 
this. 
The rainfall over the whole period was so small 
that it gives but little information, but in every 
case where rain fell during the previous night or 
on the day in question, there was either a loss or 
at best a very small gain. 
To sum up, the facts which I consider estab- 
lished are :— 
First, that sunshine is of the utmost import- 
ance, and every beekeeper should see that his 
hives get the maximum of it. This is obtained 
