James Fischer warns about,
> Making claims about the monetary value of honeybee
> pollination
citing the most recent studies, the last of which was

> A 1994 US General Accounting Office report to the Senate &
> House conferees on the USDA budget.

Jim's list leaves out the most recent study (I know of) done by Roger Morse
and Nick Calderone at Cornell University, which is available online at:
http://bee.airoot.com/beeculture/pollination2000/pg1.html
Read it and draw your own conclusions.

> ... the value of the increased
> yield and increased quality due to pollination by ALL honeybees,
> including feral colonies) at $9,300,000.00 US, and the
> marginal increase
> in value of pollination services provided by beekeepers at
> $3,200,000.00 US.
>
> But even the $3.2 billion was a bit of a stretch,
Unless some zeros got dropped in cyberspace, that's 3.2 million, not
billion.  (Nit picking)

> So, at least in 1994, dollar-value numbers turned out to be a
> self-inflicted gunshot
> wound to the foot of every beekeeper who had hoped to "save"
> the honey program.
Well, the whole conversation is pointless anyway.  Rick Green's original
post, estimating the per hive value at (what was the price, I recall $1600
but haven't checked) divided an estimated pollination value (arguably a
flawed figure) by an estimated number of hives (definitelt a faulty figure)
to arrive at a faulty per hive value figure.  Does anyone expect a check in
the mail?

> If you must use a number, talk about the possibility of a "$5
> apple", or "$20 melon"
> as reasonable outcomes of a lack of honeybees for
> pollination.
Beekeepers can (and do) shout the message.  Seems it won't be heard until it
comes to pass.

Aaron Morris - thinking lies, damned lies, maps and statistics!