supplies — hives, sections, wax foundations, shipping cases, smokers, 

 veils, gloves and a hundred other things known only to the men and 

 women who are acquainted with bees. Twenty-five thousand 

 dollars is the sum paid by the bee-keepers for these supplies. But the 

 bees must be kept busy. And there seemed to be a rivalry during 

 the year just ended, the bees keeping their owners on the run; their 

 masters trying to give the bees a chance to do their utmost during 

 the honey flow. The result was satisfactory. 



The 75,000 stands of bees in Colorado are scattered throughout 

 the State substantially as follows: 



Arapahoe County 7,000 



Boulder County 6,000 



Delta County 5,000 



Fremont County 3,000 



Huerfano County 3,500 



Jefferson County 5,500 



Larimer County 5,000 



Logan County J ,000 



Montrose County 5,000 



Mesa County 6,500 



Morgan County---. 1,500 



Otero County 6,000 



Prowers County 3,000 



Weld County 6,000 



Other counties J J ,000 



These estimates will seem low to many 

 ■nrell-informed bee-keepers of the counties 

 named. But the figures may stand. They 

 furnish a basis for other estimates. 



At the recent annual meeting of the State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association a member who suc- 

 cessfully handles a large apiary estimated the value of every good 

 swarm of bees, including hive and one super, at $5.50. But there 

 are swarms that are not good. Call the average swarm worth $4.00 

 and we have $300,000 as the value of the bees in Colorado. Add 

 the cost of buildings, tools and appliances, and the total investment 

 represented by the bee industry will amount to fully $500,000. Tfiis 

 does not include the value of "bee pasture." 



The value of the honey produced in the State is not easily esti- 

 mated. Most of the 2,000 bee-keepers in the State are not members 

 of the State organization. A large share of them have only a few 



H. C MOREHOUSE. Boulder. 



Editor Rocky Mountain 



Bee Journal. 



