Karl Dehning wrote:


>We recently have experienced very hot weather in Cape
>Town and the bees have not produced to my expectation.
>I have heard the theory that the nectar evaporates
>from the blossoms before the bees can get to gather
>it.

   Yes, that can happen --- particularly if warm weather occurs during a
drought.  We normally have a manzanita flow in January here.  In drought
years, though, the blossoms may actually dry up after yielding no nectar.
A tap of a blossom cluster into the palm of a hand reveals the presence or
absence of nectar.

   We are now approaching the halfway mark in our rainy season, with just
over an inch of rain so far.  If this continues, we can expect no manzanita
flow in this area.

                                                        Adrian

Adrian M. Wenner                    (805) 963-8508 (home phone)
967 Garcia Road                     (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106

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*     "The history of physics is the history of giving up cherished ideas."

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*                               Andrew Strominger, Harvard physicist (1999)
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