I don't trust self-reported survey data about hive counts as much as I trust
the tangible actions of those who making a living from selling stuff to
beekeepers:

If a single-digit % of the beekeepers owned all but a single-digit
percentage of the hives, we would not see Mann Lake opening up a branch in
Wilkes-Barre PA, now would we?

http://golackawanna.com/news/local-news/963602/Bee-retail-store-warehouse-co
ming-to-area
http://tinyurl.com/phjgfzm

Look at the distribution warehouse locations of the two big firms in the
game:

Dadant
======
Waverly, NY 14892
Chatham, VA 24531
High Springs, FL 32643
Frankfort, KY 40601
Albion, MI 49224
Watertown, WI 53094
Hamilton, IL 62341
Sioux City, IA 51102
Paris, TX 75460
Chico, CA 95973
Fresno, CA 93745
(map at http://dadant.com/contact)

Mann Lake
=========
Hackensack, MN 56452
Woodland, CA 95776
Wilkes-Barre, PA (announced)

What we see is more warehouses east of the Mississippi, when most of the
large beekeeping operations are west of the Mississippi.  What is east of
the Mississippi is the bulk of the beekeepers, each with a handful of hives,
on average.  The catalog houses are all about UPS shipping zones and such,
so they want to be close to where they are shipping most of their tonnage.

So, it follows that the tonnages being shipped justify as many warehouses as
exist, and prompt Mann Lake to cut their costs by putting a warehouse in PA.

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