> > I'm looking for some back-up for the assertion, seen elsewhere, that in
their lifetime a worker will produce about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.

This is, of course, a very obvious falsehood as stated, since the statement
obviously cannot be true in all, or even most cases.  Exceptions are
obvious and many.  Some workers' entire lives take place during winter or a
dearth, or are cut short, so it is not true of them.  I cannot think how
any such number could have any respectibility.

Nevertheless, it *might* be possible to estimate the maximum or (perhaps)
average potential of an *average* worker in an *average* hive in an
*average* state in an *average* country under specified assumptions, but
even then any such result is strictly a very artificial, made-up number.
The extremely wide variabilty in production from different hives with
similar populations should be a signal to anyone who is even vaguely
familiar with bees to be cautious in believing any such assertions.

The futility and meaninglessness of such misapplications of mathematics and
the doubtfulness of any result of such calculations has, however, never
discouraged many from generating such meaningless and unfounded
'statistics'.  Abuse of numbers is a popular sport.

Moreover, the obvious lack of truth in such numbers as they are stated has
never, in the least, discouraged others from repeating such tomfoolery as
absolute truth to an appreciative and gullible audience.

I think what I am saying is that there is no credible back-up for this stat
as it is stated, but that doesn't mean that there aren't lots of people who
believe it.

allen
http://www.internode.net/honeybee/diary/