No. 4.] INSPECTOR OF APIARIES. 273 



The service has been facilitated by means of the "■ clean- 

 up " card, reported the previous year. By means of this the 

 beekeeper whose yard has been quarantined, or one who had 

 been directed to clean np his yard from the standpoint of 

 sanitation, communicated to the office by means of this card 

 the fact that he had fulfilled the instructions left by the 

 inspector. Upon receipt of the signed report, in the cases of 

 quarantine, the quarantine was raised. It has been found 

 necessary to limit with considerable discretion the time al- 

 lowed for fulfilling instructions. Delays in reporting have 

 been followed up from the office. In this way the office is 

 kept in constant touch with the situations throughout the 

 State. It has been found advisable to introduce an addi- 

 tional feature upon this report card ,in order to overcome cer- 

 tain slight objections heretofore experienced. The principle 

 and purpose of the card will not be altered, merely its ef- 

 ficiency improved. Its efficiency is indicated by the ready 

 response from approximately 350 beekeepers who signed and 

 returned their reports in 1913. 



There has been the usual reduction of beekeepers through- 

 out the State, 229 having been removed from the file. This 

 reduction includes those who have moved out of the State, 

 died or for other reasons have ceased to keep bees. Many, 

 however, have been recorded as new beekeepers, or added to 

 the records. Besides these, a considerable number of names 

 have been added as " prospective " beekeepers. Thus there 

 has been an increase of 50 to 100 apiaries recorded. 



Among the approximately 1,300 apiaries under observa- 

 tion during the season there were recorded by the inspectors 

 losses to the extent of 753 colonies during the winter of 

 1912-13. This is approximately 17 per cent of the num- 

 ber of colonies (4,347) put into winter quarters. It will be 

 observed that 17 per cent is a material reduction in the 

 winter loss as compared with that for the winter of 1911-12, 

 when the records showed approximately a 40 per cent loss. 

 In some instances entire apiaries were found to have suc- 

 cumbed in that year. 



