> I made an estimate of the number of acres
> From this table, one million hives would be plenty,
> Apples	347,800

I can't say much about most of the crops listed, but I do know a bit about
apples.  You can divide the total hives needed for apples by at least 2,
maybe 3, as all the acreage does not bloom at the same time.
Most apples grow on the eastern slopes of 2K - 5K foot high mountain chains
like the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies, so the southernmost blooms start
when the northernmost orchards can still be under a foot of snow.

A well-planned operation leapfrogs its own placements, taking one group of
hives from the far southernmost orchard, and placing those hives in the
furthest north orchard you are working. Weather variations and elevation
differences can force some moves "from the middle", but unexpected better
weather would be rare, and colder or wetter weather common,  so some hives
had to be held in reserve to fulfill more northern contracts in a timely
manner when southern hives weren't quite done. 

So, a prudent beekeeper would not overbook himself too much, hence the
average of "4" placements per individual hive, even though you might end up
moving some of the hives 5 times. 

Unlike Almonds, bees that work apples are most often not ready to go work
something else once they are done working apples.  Hives can actually lose
weight on apples, the nectar is just that stingy on sugar, and the
conditions are just that chilly, damp, and generally lousy.  In VA, a smart
plan was Apples, then Tulip Poplar for a spring crop, then take the
strongest 1/4 of the hives up to a 4-year-old clear cut or burned area for
Sourwood after the Tulip Poplar honey was pulled.  

Bad news about apples... global warming may soon make apple orchards
non-viable everywhere in NC and VA, so many growers are planting cold-hardy
varieties of peaches and pears.  Too many hot summer days, and not enough
cold fall nights for apples.  But I liked working apples, as every job was a
little different. The best part was teaching the orchardists that bees
actually can fly, and that pallets did not need to be individually placed
here, there, and everywhere to cover a whole orchard evenly. "Two hives per
acre" need not be taken so literally.  And with apples, it most often is two
hives per acre, to maximize the utilization of the few good flying days you
might have during bloom.  One hive per acre can cut the yield significantly.

	

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