I'm assuming Danensis is pulling our legs, Bee. Many beekeepers may have 2000 hives or more. They ain't about to intentionally have to replace those hives every year.

Now it might be that mites and other problems may pretty much wipe out their hives some years--and this is most likely to occur after honey flow as stopped in the late fall.

CNN recently ran an article about massive bee deaths of unknown etiology in Pennsylvania and surrounding States. I think I remember that Spain or Portugal has also had a fairly recent die-off of bees, the reasons for which have yet to be determined.

Janie