THE TEMPERATURE OF THE BEE COLONY. 



9 



attracted attention. It can not be said in any wise that this is an 

 increase in the amount of stores. The phenomenon usually accom- 

 panied wet weather or fog and must be attributed to condensation 

 of moisture. In the check hive 

 moisture was frequently seen col- 

 lected on the glass top and even 

 on the frames and bees, but there 

 the conditions were perhaps less 

 normal than in the experimental 

 colony. Root 1 says that he has 

 seen confined moisture cause 

 icicles to form in the hive. The 

 condensation may become so 

 great in extreme cases as to 

 cause the bees to freeze together 

 in a solid block when chilled down 

 by severe cold. (Root, pp. 332- 

 334.) 



Honey is well known to be 

 hygroscopic, and if put into an 

 ice chest or a damp cellar, it 

 takes up moisture. Extracted 

 honey has also been observed to 

 accumulate enough moisture to 

 dilute it considerably. In the present case the hygroscopic property 

 of the honey can not be held wholly responsible for the increased 

 weight, although it may have contributed. Following an increase 

 of this kind, as has been mentioned, there was a marked decrease 



with the coming of 

 fine weather and dry- 

 ness. For illustra- 

 tion, the increase of 

 40 grams on Febru- 

 ary 1 (fig. 5) occurred 

 during the early part 

 of the day, when it 

 was raining. That 

 afternoon and the 

 following day there 

 were fair weather and 

 wind. Then there came a marked decrease in weight, which not 

 only compensated for the increase during the storm, but also showed 

 that stores had been consumed constantly, although the weights 



kJ4A<3/ 



/=*52?. / 



/?s^ 



S&ff.S 



s, 



l\ 







s_ 



J \ 







1 \ 



1 i 





<QS \ 



Fig. 5.- 



Curve showing changes in weight of the bee 

 colony from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4. 



■S7O0 



ssso 



/V0K<20 



/v<?k^>/ 



/VOIS.^2 



/VOK^3 



^ 









vS 







1$\ 



I 



a 



I 



$ 



I 



GGOO 



Fig. 6. — Curve showing changes in weight of the bee colony from Nov. 

 20 to Nov. 23. 



i A B C and X Y Z of Bee Culture, 1908 ed. 

 38957°— Bull. 96—14 2 



