Ummm...why doesn't someone just collect some bees, stick them in the freezer, and then count how many dead bees fit in a cup? Should give a rough estimate of live bee count. Why do you want to know it so badly anyway? A real live bee count would vary depending on how active the bees, or if they decide to stay in the cup. For counting varroa mites, I shake what I estimate to be a U.S. 1/3 - 1/2 cup into a plastic bag (just a visual estimate, we don't measure the bees, and they are confinded in the zip-lock bag), then freeze this and count varroa and bees. Last summer, this gave us between 138 and 382 bees. Didn't someone guess near that to win the prize? I think he wins the prize! R. R. James :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::