THE TEMPERATURE OF THE BEE COLONY. O 



actually used and as it appeared in position until the writer was 

 forced to move the experiment to the country in July, 1908, is shown 

 in figure 2. 



THE BEES. 



Throughout the experiment Caucasian bees were used. Two colo- 

 nies were necessary. The first drew out the foundation in the frames 

 and was used during September and October, 1907. The second was 

 hived in November, 1907, and served throughout the remainder of 

 the experiment. This colony did not swarm. 



THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE THERMOMETERS. 



The thermometers were designated a, b, c, d, e,f, and o. Thermom- 

 eters a, b, c, and d were inserted between the central combs. They 

 were arranged at regular intervals, a being at the front of the hive 

 and nearest to the entrance. Thermometer e was placed at the rear 

 of the hive between combs 3 and 4, and was expected to represent 

 the temperature of the margin of the cluster. Thermometer / was 

 inserted beneath the frames through the collar, as is described above. 

 Its purpose was to record the temperature of the air below the cluster 

 and which was likely to be affected by currents from the entrance. 

 Its bulb was directly below the central frames. The first five ther- 

 mometers extended about 7 inches below the cover. The outside 

 thermometer, o, was suspended close to the hive in such a way as to 

 register the temperature of the air which surrounded the apparatus. 



LOCATION OF APPARATUS. 



The apparatus was installed in a shed on a third-story back piazza 

 in southwest Washington, as is shown in figure 2. While the shed 

 afforded shelter from storms, which was necessary for the protection 

 of the apparatus and in taking observations, windows and door were 

 left open, making the conditions relatively like out of doors. The 

 shed was on the south side of the building. 



In July, 1908, it was necessary to transport the experiment to 

 College Park, Md. This, however, was found not to have affected 

 the results. The apparatus was arranged in a situation comparable 

 to the shed in Washington. 



CHECK COLONY. 



Besides the colony on the scales, in which the thermometers were 

 suspended, a check colony in a hive with glass top and bottom was 

 set up close by. The hive was constructed with a glass bottom board, 

 and a wooden shield to cut out light. The cover was also of glass 

 sealed to the hive, on top of which were several thicknesses of felt 

 paper and an ordinary hive cover. By removing the bottom shield 



