> wouldn't the astute beekeeper see sick bees prior to death? -- Don Coats, DVM, LLC The problem is two-fold, at least here. One, the hives are usually wrapped from Nov to April. Winter mortality usually takes place during this time. Secondly, I have monitored colonies closely during winter and the general symptoms are dwindling population. For this reason, I have come to the conclusion that the proximate cause of winter failure is shortened lifespan, which in turn could be caused by viruses and/or poor fall nutrition. PLB *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html