Being sick in bed already, I have spent hours looking at the honey production numbers. I think the averages are useless because of the whimsical way in which hives have been counted. However, the total US honey production per year tells the real story. 

> areas that need explanation ... what happened in 2005 to cause a change in "per hive" averages?

Honey production was pretty high in 2000, at 220 million pounds. By 2007 it had fallen 33% to 148 million. This is exactly the time that the publicity surrounding CCD was at its peak. Whatever that was (or is) must play a very important role in this steep drop in honey production. By the way, I agree with Randy that this problem is what drove almond prices up, not the other way around. 

PLB

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