Originally Posted By: patricia57
would that not take away from the amount in the hive and yet it is not added until the farmer puts it in the bin?
You can't 'lose' food this way under any circumstances. The food is deducted from the food source at the same time it's added to the hive, even if the moment that it occurs at is not always the same point in the process. As CFII pointed out, with the hive it happens when it's deposited, while with the orchard it happens when it's picked.