UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 489 
Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology. ^Bi 
L. O. HOWARD, Chief. <$3&*^&U 
Washington, D. C. 
December 2, 1916 
A SURVEY OF BEEKEEPING IN NORTH CAROLINA. 
By E. G. Care, Specialist in Beekeeping. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Present conditions 2 
Possibilities under North Carolina 
conditions 13 
Needs of the beekeeping industry in 
North Carolina 
Summary 
Page. 
16 
16 
INTRODUCTION. 
A survey of the State of North Carolina recently has been made 
in order to determine the present conditions, possibilities, and needs 
of the business of beekeeping, with special reference to the best 
means of supplying these needs. It seemed desirable to learn why 
North Carolina beekeepers are receiving relatively small returns, 
whereas there was a reason to believe that opportunities for profit- 
able beekeeping were on every hand. This survey began October 1 
and ended December 22, 1915. 
In this survey, counties of Surrey, Henderson, Clay, Haywood, 
Jackson, Buncombe, Madison, Mitchell, McDowell, Iredell, Ran- 
dolph, Forsyth, Guilford, Alamance, Pamlico, Beaufort, Pender, 
Washington, Martin, and Sampson were included. 
The census figures for the year 1909 show 36,248 farms reporting 
bees, with a total number of colonies of 189,178, thus giving the 
State fourth rank for number of colonies in the United States. The 
honey produced was valued at $211,607 and the wax at $18,979, a 
total valuation of $230,586, which gives the State eleventh rank in 
Note. — This bulletin treats particularly of beekeeping conditions in North Carolina, but 
is of interest to beekeepers generally. 
The author wishes to express his appreciation to the beekeepers visited for many kind- 
nesses, also to the county agents, who greatly facilitated the work by arranging for 
meetings of beekeepers. He also expresses his appreciation of the aid furnished by Prof. 
Franklin Sherman, jr., State entomologist, for data concerning beekeepers and for as- 
sistance in planning routes. 
57568°— Bull. 489—16 
