Hi Jerry and All It seems exceptionally quiet on here today - does that mean that everyone is filling out their CCD returns?! Just two things to throw into this debate: 1. As far as I can tell, we are not having anything like this in the UK, though we must share some factors - such as imidacloprid use (which I have to say was the culprit I first thought about). Is there anywhere in the world with something similar at the moment? Any UK beekeepers care to correct me? 2. I know that you are well aware of the French experience in the mid-1990s when pesticides were getting the lion's share of the blame. If you don't know, Yves Le Conte will be talking at the ESA meeting, which looks like it is in four weeks time meeting in Manitoba. His abstract (link below) finishes 'This presentation will discuss the history and the different sides of the conflict including new data on multifactorial effects.' Could be useful for those of you puzzling over CCD. http://esa.ent.iastate.edu/confreg/?gridaction=viewonepresentation&year=2007&presnum=155 If the States now has something similar to the French problems, the bad news is that the problem persisted over several years, saw hive numbers drop by a third, and mean honey yields fall by over 50%. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid_effects_on_bee_population bye for now Gavin. -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---