[jly]

If this is true, then it's likely just due to more beekeeping activity - commercial and hobby - due to the awareness of this issue and rapidly growing agricultural demands.

Beekeepers tend to use annual colony losses for whatever reasons as a measure of overall apiary health. These are increasing (sometimes dramatically). For example, a commercial apiary may count 10% as normal and expected losses overwintering, while we are currently seeing upwards of 40-45% annual losses. The numbers can be replenished but this takes time and money and is the worrying unnatural trend that is being discussed. The absolute number of active hives at any given time is not necessarily a useful metric to measure declines.

[tptacek]

No, overwintering losses are at ~24%. The numbers are public; you can just Google them.

[jly]

Numbers vary depending on the survey and most surveys only include maybe 1/3 of commercially managed hives, to start.

Overwinter losses are probably around your number for the last several years but all-year losses are much higher. The USDA stated for 2013-2014, for example, higher summer losses than winter for the first time, for an annual total of 42.1% *

Regardless of the exact number, my point is still valid in discussing your original question.

[*] http://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2015/...