6 BULLETIN 1328, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



arrangement proved satisfactory until some time in June, when a 

 change was necessitated by the peculiar behavior of the bees during 

 hot weather. Several changes were tried, but the plan that ap- 

 peared to give the greatest satisfaction was to close this lower venti- 

 lator and to remove one of the ingoing gates, the remaining 14 gates 

 being spaced more widely, thus allowing more of the hive odor to 

 escape between the gates. Ventilation at the top of the hive was 

 also provided during the hottest weather. 



A weatherproof telephone cable led the wires from the contact de- 

 vices to the recording counters attached to a table in the laboratory, 

 about 50 feet from the hive. Two storage batteries furnished the 

 current, these being recharged periodically by means of a rectifier. 



During the portion of each day when the bees were flying, the 

 following observations were recorded without interruption at exactly 

 15-minute intervals : Records of outgoing and incoming bees ; weight 

 of the entire hive with attached apparatus ; temperature in the shade 

 adjacent to the hive; anemometer record of the wind which had 

 passed since last reading ; and notes on the weather conditions, includ- 

 ing the degree of cloudiness. These readings usually began at about 

 5.30 a. m. and continued until about 8 p. m., depending somewhat on 

 the season. 



PROBLEMS ON WHICH INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED BY A 

 DEVICE FOR COUNTING FLIGHTS 



If an accurate count coidd be obtained of the exits from and en- 

 trances to a hive without interfering unduly with the normal flight 

 activities of the bees, the data obtained would throw some light on 

 the following problems : 



1. Perhaps the most important would be the responses of bees to 

 various honey flows, especially to those that are not heavy enough to 

 be reflected very markedly in the weight of the hive. Information 

 regarding this problem would undoubtedly assist in a study of nec- 

 tar secretion, especially with reference to the time of day and the rel- 

 ative amount of secretion. 



2. The responses of bees to various meteorological conditions, 

 such as intensity of light, temperature, wind, rain, and electrical 

 disturbances. 



3. Average duration of the flight, its variation with the honey 

 flows and the general atmospheric conditions. 



4. The daily average number of trips per bee to the field, ascer- 

 tained by manipulating the hive so as to get a census of the field bees 

 on any particular day. 



5. The possible responses of bees to sounds, odors, and other 

 stimuli. 



6. The death rate of the colony, the comparative numbers which 

 die in the field and in the hive, and the factors which contribute to 

 an increased death rate. 



7. The effect on bees of the time of application of certain poisonous 

 insecticides in horticultural practice. 



8. The relative economic importance of predatory wasps, other 

 enemies, and adult bee diseases, information regarding which might 

 be obtained by correlating flight data with the normal death rate. 



