TWENTY-NINTH REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 



27 



million dollars. A unique fact is that Montana reports the largest 

 average crops of honey per colony in the United States, almost 

 three times that of the national average for the past three years. 

 This report has created some illusions about Montana beekeeping 

 territory. However, two main factors contribute to any honey 

 crop record, the operator and the territory, and credit for this record 

 is due, really, to a small group of 75 professional beekeepers who 

 own and operate 93 per cent of the bees in the State. Another 

 avocational group of 60 operates 4.6 per cent and an amateur group, 

 70 per cent of the beekeepers in the State, operate 2.4 per cent of 

 the bees. 



Distribution of bees by registration group is illustrated by 

 figure 8. These data seem to indicate that Montana's production is 

 due to a combination of efficient commercial management plus 

 good territory. In other states commercial management has pro- 



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400 " 



MunBE-COrCoLOniE-5 BYBE-6I5TRATION GROUP5 

 Figure 8. Distribution of bee colonies and beekeepers by registration groups. 



