WEATHER AND CHANGE IN WEIGHT OF BEE COLONY 



19 



sharply how decidedly the midday decline reduces the amount of net 

 gain. If the gaps caused by the midday decline were bridged the net 

 gains would be appreciably larger. By theoretically bridging together 

 the two peaks of the graphs of hourly gain, and thus eliminating the 

 midday decline in rate of gain, the net gain for colony AB is increased 

 15.72 per cent. The net gains of colonies 1 and 2 are similarly 

 increased 16.35 per cent and 16.95 per cent, respectively, so that in 



Fio. 7.— Graphs of average hourly weight changes, temperature, relative humidity, and total hours of 

 sunshine. Colony AB, spring period 



the years recorded the midday decline caused a loss of from 15 to 16 

 per cent in the net gain for the day. 



Actual gains in weight do not occur immediately after the sun 

 rises, but they do cease almost as soon as the sun goes down, as 

 shown in Figures 7 and 8. Although bees make actual gains in hours 

 recorded as cloudy, it is interesting to note that in 1922 the actual 

 hours of sunshine during the spring honey flow totaled 124.4, while 



