APIARY INSPECTION 

 Thomas Lc Burbridge, Chief Inspector 



Apiary inspection was performed during the spring and summer months 

 in ten counties by six part-time inspectors paid on a per diem basis. 

 Each inspector must have the ability to detect and diagnose all contagious 

 or infectious diseases of honeybee larvae. Each inspector is trained in 

 the use of aseptic inspection techniques and perodically is observed and 

 evaluated on his performance » 



After an extremely hard winter with a winter-kill of approximately 

 twenty per cent, very little spring honey was removede Ideal summer 

 conditions, only interrupted by two weeks of constant rain, produced 

 near optimum honeyflowSo This resulted in significant stores of honey 

 and polleno Most colonies seem to be entering the fall in extremely 

 strong conditions o 



Increased awareness and cooperation of local tree wardens, mosquito 

 control applicators and individual farmers have helped reduce the pesticide 

 damage to honeybees. Much of this credit must be attributed to the 

 dedicated educational and cooperative efforts of the county beekeepers' 

 associations. 



Each year approximately fifty per cent of the known colonies in 

 Massachusetts are inspectedo Very little inspection was performed in 

 areas west of Worcester County due to the lack of applicants from those 

 areas „ 



Increased incidences of American Foulbrood ( Bacillus Larvae ) were 

 observed in those areas not inspected for several years o It was also 

 observed that amount of sacbrood and chalkbrood seems to be increasing 

 in Massachusetts apiaries o 



The registration of honeybee colonies is not required in Massachusetts. 

 Each year several hundred new beekeeper hobbyists begin colonies. An 

 increasingly inordinate amount of apiary inspection time is expended 

 in locating these colonies, many of which are never found „ Some of 

 these colonies are possible vectors of the highly contagious larval bee 

 disease, American Foulbrood. It is scientifically impossible to eradicate 

 local infestations of larval bee disease unless the locations of all 

 colonies are known „ It is strongly recommended, therefore, that the 

 mandatory registration and location of all colonies of honeybees in 

 Massachusetts be legislated^ 



Retail prices of honev ranged from $1.00 to $1<,50 per pound 

 depending on color, flavor origin and area of sale. 



