﻿EFFECTS ON HOlSrEYBEES OF SPEAYING FRUIT TEEES 13 



scales, weighed, the weight recorded, and the hive returned to its 

 place in the apiar}'. After the gross weights of all hives, each with 

 its contents, had been determined, the bees in each hive were quickly 

 transferred to another, and the hive from which they were taken, 

 together with its combs of brood and honey, was again weighed. 

 The difference in the two weights was the weight of the bees, plus 

 that of any honey they were able to take from the combs during 

 the process of transferring. To prevent any addition to the popu- 

 lation of the colonies by the emergence of young bees during the 

 experiment, all combs containing nearly mature brood were removed 

 from the hives as the brood approached maturity. 



Since in this experiment the daily loss of individual bees was to 

 be determined by the daily loss in weight of the colony, the variation 

 in the quantity of honey that the bees might take from the combs 

 and carry with them while being transferred would be a disturbing 

 factor, but the method used in transferring them from one hive to 

 another was such that they had no opportunity to take any honey 

 from the combs, because they were kept moving from the time the 

 hive was opened until they were in the other hive. 



To shorten the necessary manipulation, only 5 combs instead of 10 

 were used in each hive. After the gross weights of all the hives had 

 been determined hive ISTo. 1 was removed from its stand and an extra 

 hive with five empty combs but no cover was put in its place. Hive 

 No. 1 was then lifted from its bottom board and set on top of the 

 prepared hive. Its cover was removed, the five combs spread apart, 

 and by means of a brush the bees were dislodged from the combs, 

 while smoke was applied to prevent their return. Each comb was 

 then removed, swept clean of bees, and placed in an empty hive body. 

 Hive No. 1, now emptied and free from bees, was then reassembled 

 and again weighed, with all parts, including the combs of brood and 

 honey. This hive, with its five combs of brood and honey, then 

 received colony No. 2, similarly transferred. This process Avas re- 

 peated until the weight of each of the hives and contents, minus the 

 bees, was determined. The five combs of brood from colony No. 6 

 were then given to colony No. 1, and the empty combs which had been 

 given temporarily to colony No. 1 when it was transferred were 

 removed. This routine was repeated daily during the experiment, 

 care being taken to finish the work before any bees could return from 

 the fields with nectar, and so introduce error from that source. 



To determine how much variation, if any, there was in the weight 

 of individual bees from day to day, caused chiefly by their greater 

 activity during the honey flow, a sample averaging 22.5 bees was 

 weighed each day on the chemical balances. These bees were taken 

 each morning f j-om the same colony (No. 6) to avoid differences that 

 might result from a difference of temperament. The bees were taken 

 after having been dislodged from the combs to the hive from which 

 they were transferred, and b(^fore they could reach the combs of the 

 hive to which they were being transferred. 



To obtain data on the collection of nectar from the frui( blossoms 

 at various intervals during the day, the following methods were 

 employed: To deteiniine (he load, largely of nectar, which the bees 

 carried diii-ing tin; most favorabh; time for foi-aging, 10 outgoing 

 and 10 reLuiiiing field bees caugiit ut the hive entrances were 



