NINTH ANNUAL EEPORT OF THE STATE INSPECTOR 

 OF APIARIES. 



To the State Department of Agriculture. 



After one of the most severe winters ever experienced in 

 eastern United States, the conditions in apiaries this spring 

 were uncertain. It was a question, for a time, whether the few 

 colonies which survived the prolonged, intense cold could be 

 successfully brought through to productiveness. Fortunately, 

 the prevailing spring conditions favored the building up of the 

 colonies, so that many a colony, which early in the season was 

 of doubtful value, rapidly improved and produced a surplus. 

 The number of c6lonies throughout the State, however, was cut 

 in half, the exact percentage of winter loss being 57 per cent, 

 as is explained in some detail elsewhere. Some of this tre- 

 mendous mortality has been made up, but it can scarcely be 

 said that there were as many colonies of bees in Massachu- 

 setts last fall (1918) as there were the previous fall. In some 

 instances the losses which beekeepers experienced discouraged 

 them from keeping more bees. However, the current scarcity of 

 sugar has awakened new interest in many beekeepers, and has 

 suggested beekeeping to persons who heretofore had not at- 

 tempted the industry. The severe winter loss also had its 

 direct effect upon the disease situation. Not only did it reduce 

 the number of possible cases of disease, but, in many instances, 

 killed colonies which were weakened from disease or which had 

 otherwise been neglected. In a certain measure, therefore, the 

 winter mortality has improved beekeeping conditions, but only 

 to the extent of eliminating neglected, uncared-for, and hence 

 unproductive, colonies. 



Co-operation or the United States Department of 



Agriculture. 

 The emergency co-operation with the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, which was undertaken May 1, 1917, has 

 been continued. As collaborator of the Bureau of Entomology 



