I don't think it is all that hard to track "colonies in production" versus colonies that have little chance of pulling more than their own weight, such as spring splits. In apple growing, one has "acres in cultivation" and "acres in production", and like beehives, there is a lag between establishment of a tree and the ability to harvest from it. Almonds have the same situation. I doubt that growers figure in trees or acres "in cultivation" when they do their yield calculations. "Yield per hive" should not include hives that aren't yielding! *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html