>> lack of invasion of the equipment by robber bees or pests).
I was also skeptical of that being a "sign."
If the other colonies in the area were also suffering from nosema-virus
issues, I wouldn't expect robbing. And robbing generally doesn't
immediately occur upon collapse anyway unless there is ripening nectar in
the hive.
As I said before, I observed wax moth larvae dying with signs of iridovirus
-- the only time in my career that I've observed wax moth larvae dying in
colonies. So that may explain lack of wax moth.
We did not have SHB in Calif at that time, so can't comment.
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
530 277 4450
ScientificBeekeeping.com
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