>> so if the average temperature for the day (the sum of the daily >> high and low, divided by 2) is greater than 55 degrees, > What concerns me is the simplicity of this averaging... > Taking 12 deg C as the trigger point, I can have a day with a low > of 5 deg that occurs for 21 hours out of 24 and a high of 20 deg > that occurs for 3 hrs or I could have a snap frost of 0 deg for an > hour with 25 deg for the rest of the day, both give an average of > 12.5, but I seriously doubt that the growth would be the same under > the two different conditions. > While the figures I have chosen are extreme and would vary in a smooth > periodic way, they are not beyond the bounds of possibility. This is the underlying point - temperatures do tend to slowly warm up towards spring in a smooth progression. Yes, extreme weather can happen, and it certainly would throw one off by a few degree-days. But I doubt if anyone really needs a more precise mechanism, as knowing "the bloom will start this weekend" is useful to a beekeper, where knowing "the bloom will be Sunday at 1:30pm" would be just plain silly. jim :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::