OK: How about
Australia?
Population: 20 million
Area: 7.7 million square kilometers (3 million sq. miles)
The following information is from the
Australian Honeybee Industry Council web site (see hyper-link below)
____________________
Australia is among the top honey producing nations in the world, exporting about half of what it produces.
The main honey producing countries are:
Russia
United States of America
Argentina
Mexico
Canada
China
West Germany
Hungary
Greece
Australia
Australia’s main honey markets are the:
Federal Republic of Germany
United Kingdom
Most of the honey that is exported comes from main-stream commercial beekeepers who number about 2,000 and who may own between 40 and 2000 hives. Because the seasons affect the amount of blossom, beekeepers have to move their hives from place to place to find a good supply of nectar and pollen.
A strong hive has about 30,000 bees flying from blossom to blossom all day long. Each bee can visit thousands of blossoms in a single day.
The Australian honey industry produces 30,000 tonnes of honey annually.
There are around 673,000
registered hives in Australia, producing not only honey and beeswax but also live bees (queens and package bees), and other products such as pollen and royal jelly.
Around 467,000 hives are operated by beekeepers with a minimum of 200 hives, and these are considered to represent the commercial industry. It is estimated that an average of at least 30,000 tonnes of honey are produced each year in Australia, with nearly 45% of this total coming from beekeepers resident in NSW. Between 9,000 and 12,000 tonnes of honey are exported each year.
Commercial operators are reported to produce up to 145 kg of honey per hive per year (Manning 1992). Figures from the Queensland beekeeping industry (personal communication) indicate that 5-year average production levels of 75 kg per hive per year can be expected.
http://www.honeybee.org.au/economics.htmVery interesting. But they don't play hockey, Finman.