Following the question of reliability of statistics: One of the most significant challenges for empirical studies of honey bee populations lies in the interpretation of data from the Honey Report and the Census of Agriculture, the only available historical records of bee populations. These data have been collected to track honey production but lack several indicators related to pollination services. First, many operations and hives are not included in the hive counts. Honey Report hive counts, which are yearly and date back to 1945, do not track beekeepers who specialize in pollination and do not sell honey. In addition, beekeepers are only asked to report hives from which honey was extracted and the hives that only provide pollination services are left out of counts. The Census of Agriculture counts all hives from operations that produce and sell $1,000 or more of agricultural products but pollination revenues are not considered agricultural products in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Accordingly, the Census misses beekeepers who specialize in pollination. Second, both surveys count hives only once a year. Honey Reports questionnaires ask for the maximum number of honey producing hives at any time of the year. The Census reports hives counted on December 31 of each year. Beekeepers often split the colony of bees in a hive to increase their number of hives seasonally or to replace lost hives. As a result, neither hive count provides reliable estimates of the abundance of bees during the seasonal bloom of any particular crop. The Bioeconomics of Honey Bees and Pollination Environ Resource Econ (2015) 60:143–164 *********************************************** 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