my comment...
well the first thing we might disagree on here is you 90% estimate.  


It’s a debatable number.....  I accept that,  but the majority by and large die from small cluster and unhealthy winter bees.   That norther hive I have  didn't starve out with honey close by,  it suffered from small cluster unable to relocate properly.


Data collection is fun and cool and sometimes valuable.  But weighing hives is a fools errand.  You can hive a hive full of honey and brood starving to death for protein.  All you bees can disappear and die,  and the scale only moves 3 pounds.  You wouldn't know the difference between a dead hive and one just staying level.  Robbers in and out could fool you on weight.

No way to tell a queen is a drone layer,  no spotting foulbrood picking up,  and even Fishers top quality Nectar detector cant weigh mites......



The real point here is the learning curve it would take  to equate weight with hive health.  You need to open and see and correlate that with weight for a lOOOOOOOOOng time before it makes sense.  
More valuable is too look at condition of brood,  and cluster size  and brood pattern  those things and weather will tell you where you need to help,  and when to kick back.   
If I was any good I would attach pictures.  We shook bees today from hives we took splits from last week.   Hives that were sitting in the cold,  some are heavy with honey,  some are heavy with bees.  The average in about 600 hives is a 6lb surplus of bees.  That’s taking out 2 packages and still leaving enough to produce honey next week in canola.......

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