THE FLIGHT ACTIVITIES OF THE HONEYBEE 



17 



Time 



Weather conditions 



1.00 A few drops are falling. 



1.15 The sprinkling has ceased. 



1.30 Thundering, sky very dark, beginning to rain gently. 



1.43 Light raiu falling. 



2.00 Raining heavily. 



2.30 The rain has stopped. 



4.30 The sky has cleared, but the sun is obstructed by some clouds. 



5.00 The sun is shining brightly. 



6.00 The sky is again clouded. [This condition persisted until dusk.] 



This was in a period of the year when, on account of the scarcity 

 of nectar, a relatively larger percentage of the field bees are absent 

 from the hive at any particular time. On the approach of a storm, 

 therefore, their homeward rush produces a much higher peak, 



eoo'fe 





Fig. 5., — Flight, temperature, and hive-weight data for July 8, 1&22, showing the 

 effect of a storm (1.30-2.30 p. m.) on flights 



relative to the normal trend of the curve, than would occur if 

 nectar were abundant. On this day on the approach of the storm 

 in the quarter hour ending at 1 p. m., three times as many bees 

 returned as in the highest quarter-hourly return preceding the 

 storm. A slight flight irom the hive was apparent even through the 

 light rain; but when at 2 p. m. the heavy rain began, the exits were 

 reduced to about a sixth of those in the morning when the sun was 

 shining brightly. Though the sun again shone brightly between 

 5 and 6 p. m., and the temperature was high, this low flight activity 

 still persisted, indicating that in some way the bees seemed to know 

 that any further effort would not be profitable, a behavior differing 

 markedly from that of May 15, when the response to good weather 

 by increased flight was immediate. 



After such storms have cleared, it has been noted that a few of 

 the returning bees show by the matted-down appearance of the hairs 



20909°— 25 3 



