> I can't remember accurately the  periodic

> table or the formulae for the sugars.
>

Chris, someone did all the math on this a couple of years ago on this List.
Perhaps you could search and share, as well as follow up on the Irish list
for Norman Carrick's calcs.  Anyway, glucose is C6H12O6, for a molecular
weight of 180 g.  Fully oxidized, it would produce 6 molecules of water,
with a molecular weight of 18g each (108 g total).

Here's some physics.  Warmer air (technically warmer space) can hold more
water vapor than cooler air. When air is equilibrium with abundant liquid
water at any specific temperature it is said to be "saturated," and at 100%
relative humidity (RH).  If it is at any time not saturated, then the RH
will be less than 100%.  For example, air only holding half its potential
water at a certain temperature would have an RH of 50%.

The reason that Allen's climate is so dry in winter is that the very cold
air holds very little moisture.  When the bees then warm that air, the RH
drops precipitously since that warmer air now has the potential to hold more
water.

In the cluster, where it is warmest, the RH would be low.  However, at the
periphery, where the bees are colder, the RH will be higher.  Theoretically,
you could see bees in the center dying of thirst, while bees at the
periphery would be having water droplets condense onto their bodies.

Randy Oliver

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