... > Western NY - commercial beekeeper observed while scraping his >deadouts , hives with "bee parts" strewn over the top bars and on the >frames. He stated "it was like they fell apart". I'm wondering if this >could be septicemia ? Is any one out there familiar with this ? I've been noticing this as well while cleaning out my dead hives. I just thought it was from the dessication of the dead bees - causing many wings and legs to fall off and appear strewn about (the pieces fall down thru the combs). The symptoms I'm finding are not like in past years. That is, not hives full of winter stores and no bees; more like clusters that appear spread out haywire and thinly scattered, or concentrated in small bunches in various parts of the hive. Really weird. Also floors just filled to capacity with dead bees.