86 



MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS ON APICULTURE. 



NUMBER OF COLONIES PER BEE KEEPER. 



There are but two bee keepers in the State who report more than 

 100 colonies, but several have nearly this number. 



Table II. — Location of Massachusetts' largest apiaries, as reported for 1906. 



County. 



50 to 75 

 colonies. 



75 to 100 

 colonies. 



100 colo- 

 nies and 

 over. 



County. 



50 to 75 

 colonies. 



75 to 100 Wj$Z 

 colonies. ™°™ d 







1 







4 



1 



Essex 



1 





Plymouth 



a-2 





1 





Total 





Hampden 



2 

 1 





9 I 3 2 



Hampshire 







| 













a One of these bee keepers writes that he increased from 55 to 133 colonies in 1906. 



It is a peculiar fact that in Worcester County, where more bees 

 are to be found than in any other county and where bee keeping is 

 progressive, none reports 50 colonies and few have even 25. The 

 two largest bee keepers in the State are located in Plymouth County. 

 That there are so few large bee keepers in Massachusetts is due. in 

 the writer's estimation, to the heretofore unrecognized ravages of 

 disease. This is discussed elsewhere in this paper and in another 

 publication of this Bureau. In Middlesex County, for instance, 

 where, so far as at present known, disease is not prevalent, the 

 greatest number of large bee keepers is found and also the second 

 greatest number of colonies. 



DISTRIBUTION OF BEES IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



In the eastern section, exclusive of Barnstable County, with its 

 high ratio of novices, there are practically as many colonies of bees 

 per bee keeper as in the western section. According to the figures for 

 1906, the following table presents the conditions : 



Table III. — Distribution of tees in Massachusetts. 





Spring. 



Fall- 



Section of State. 



Number 

 of col- 

 onies. 



Colonies 

 per bee 

 keeper. 



Number 

 of col- 

 onies. 





1.760 



3,897 



182 



5.4 

 5.5 

 10.0 



•J. 530 



Worcester County and east, exclusive of Barnstable County 



5,595 



Barnstable County 



227 







Total for the State 



5,S39 



5.5 



8,352 







From the foregoing table it will be seen that the minimum number 

 of colonies is in direct disproportion to the large number of bee 



? Gates, Burton N. 1908. Bee Diseases in Massachusetts. Bulletin No. 75, 

 Part III, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Wash- 

 ington. Bui. 124, Mass. Agr. Exp. Station. 



