Dear Chris et al,

I think all agree that daylength is important, but it can't be the only factor. Some years ago, we kept a colony in the indoor flight room at Rothamsted over a complete winter. It survived, but didn't produce much brood until exactly the time in the Spring when the colonies outside began full lay. The colony had been in constant temperature, with a fixed day length, and ad lib food throughout the period. Its only contact with the outside was through the air conditioning, so they would have been able to detect pressure changes, but otherwise they were completely isolated...

Best wishes,

Norman.

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