a couple of Pete B snips followed by > my comment 
I am reluctant to get embroiled in discussions about statistics and so-called facts. One of the reason is this cautionary tale:

>Cautionary no and not quite correct either...imho words and how you use them is important. These things are 'estimates' with various layers of errors in determining the numbers.. For commercial folks the 'best guess' is based on surveys and for sideliner and hobbyist the numbers are LIKELY generated via sales of various bee keeping items from the various bee suppliers.. No big surprise but some errors + or - will cancel each other out.

>you can run statistical ANALYSIS on these numbers but as such they are just numbers..   

At one point USDA changed their method of counting colonies in the US and the number went from 4.3 million in 1985 go 3.2 million in 1986. Amazingly -- the average honey production went from 35 pounds in 1985 to 71 pounds per hive in 1987! A 100% increase. Good work beekeepers!

>Happens all the time and throughout history.  You may notice that current 'job reports' and estimates of GDP are revised a month or so after the initial report come out. Some of my former college acquaintances might spend their entire career revamping estimates of agriculture production.  You might also notice in the above example the time frame overlaps with the arrival of varroa and when a lot of hobby folks exited beekeeping.... ie lots leaving but none coming in. And of course the production in anyone year is to some degree dependent on the season (for bees generally rainfall), labor availability and of course the EXPECTED end price of product.

Gene in Central Texas... 

  

 

             ***********************************************
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