> looking at Randys data we are looking at it wrong and asking the wrong question,  the question should not be whats the decline,  but what was the rise? 

Looking at the data, the idea that comes to my mind is "lies, damn lies, and statistics." One cannot assume that the same method for calculating average yield persisted for that many decades. If honey production stays flat and the number of colonies declines, you will see the average rise. But the method of counting colonies changed at the time the average production began to spike. Smells fishy to me.

PLB

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