The following two statements have been made
so far:

>> 10,000 bees per kilo...

> 3,500 bees to the pound is the standard
> figure used by all parties in the U.S...

1 kilo is 2.2 pounds or so, so the two estimates
are far from being in agreement.

If there are 10,000 bees per kilo, then
there should be 4,500 bees per pound.

    (0.45 * 10,000) = 4,500

On the other hand, if there are 3,500 bees per
pound, then there should be 7,700 bees per kilo.

    (2.2 * 3,500) = 7,700

Perhaps the difference is due to a failure to
account for the fanning action of some fraction
of the bees, which (as a result of lift caused
by such wing action) would make the same number
of bees weigh less than one might otherwise expect.  :)



There is also work afoot at MAAREC (The Mid-Atlantic
Apicultural Research and Extension Co-Op) to try and
develop standards for "how many bees in a jar" when
one is doing a sugar roll or (much more depressing)
ether roll.

It seems that everyone's estimate of "300 bees"
is subject to massive revision when their
estimate is actually counted.

The apparent end result of this still ongoing
work will be to encourage the use of measurements
like "a half cup" or a "quarter cup" of bees, as
volume appears to be a more reliable measure than
a guess at a number of bees in a jar.

Clearly a mite count from a "roll" would be more
useful if the sample of bees contained a more
consistent number of bees.

But other questions arise, such as:

a) "How big is a jar?"
   (900 Jars = 1 micro-Farad)

b) "How many lids in a jar?"
   (This unit of measure was last used in
    Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s, and while
    it depends on the size of the jar, it
    only serves to define the age of the
    person asking the question.)

c)  If you leave bees in a jar long enough,
    will you be able to get rid of your
    extractor?

d)  Why have beekeepers not adopted plastic
    for use in such applications?  Tupperware,
    perhaps?


                jim

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