HONEYBEES. 3 



The cause of loss most frequently given is missing or worn-out 

 queens. The most important absolute item of loss is starvation. A 

 serious loss is shown from poor quality of winter stores, usually aster 

 honey, which in some sections, with long confinement, is said to 

 induce dysentery. Late and weak swarms often succumb. Losses 

 of colonies deficient in young bees were heavy in districts where a 

 late summer drought interfered with fall brood-rearing. Various 

 other causes mentioned are smothering and exposure, which have 

 been included with cold, long confinement, robbing, brood disease, 

 mice, moths, ants, and small predatory animals. A considerable per- 

 centage of reporters failed to state the cause of death, either from 

 carelessness or perhaps disinclination to mention starvation as the 

 cause. That so many should have been shown to die from the latter 

 cause, which can in a great majority of cases be avoided by modera- 

 tion in removing surplus honey or absolutely prevented by the proper 

 feeding of sugar sirup in the late fall or early spring, is a regrettable 

 exhibit. 



CONDITIONS AND HONEY YIELDS, SEASON 1915. 



The number of colonies, spring count, reported this season averages 

 for the entire United States two-tenths of 1 per cent less than last 

 year (Table 3, column 8). Increases of 15 per cent in Texas, 10 per 

 cent in California and Arizona, and rather general increases in the 

 northern tier of States from Michigan westward are offset by decreases 

 of 14 per cent in Missouri, 10 per cent in New York and Indiana, 8 

 per cent in Illinois, Nebraska, and Arkansas, and smaller percentages 

 in a number of other important honey-producing States. 



The condition of the colonies on May 1 (column 9, a), largely 

 measured by the number of bees and amount of brood compared 

 with a normal condition of populousness and vigor at that date, was 

 92.7 per cent for the United States as a whole, being 5.1 per cent 

 lower than on May 1 last year. (See column 9, h.) This may be 

 ascribed in part to the late cold spring over much of the country, 

 which delayed brood-rearing, and to some extent to the poor quality 

 of the winter stores in many States, which weakened the colonies. 



The condition is shown below 90 in New York, Maryland, Ohio, 

 Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, and 

 90 or slightly above in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana, Iowa, Tennes- 

 see, and Alabama. In each of the States named except Kansas it 

 was lower than last year. 



The condition of honey plants, shown on May 1 as 93.3 per cent, is 

 5.8 per cent lower than lust season at that date (columns 10, a, 

 and 10, b.) As weal her conditions since May 1 over the country as a 

 whole have been decidedly better for plant growth than last year, 

 when droughty conditions prevailed in many sections, the condition 



