Hello all:
I am a new beekeeper(<1 year, 4 hives) in north San Diego county, CA, USA.
The hives are located throughout our small avocado grove, separated by a few
hundred feet.
My first hive recently absconded a week or two following stumping of 40
avocado trees under which the hive was located.
When I inspected the hive, I noticed about 5% or so of the brood area had
dead bees remaining in their cells with most of the capping removed so you
could see the bee's heads. I also noticed ant activity (the ubiquitous small
red ants common to our area). There was not a single live bee remaining in
the hive!! The colony had a very small population in the weeks preceeding
their disappearance.

My second hive has a very small population although brood and queen are
present. I notice the same scattering of dead, un-emerged bees and I also
notice a number of bees with wings appearing to be shredded or chewed to the
point where they would seem incapable of flight.

My youngest hive appears very robust, currently filling two full size brood
boxes with a third recently added.

I've been advised to treat for disease only when necessary, so I've not
treated for anything so far.

Can anyone tell me what might be the cause of the absconding, weak
populations, scattering of dead, unemerged bees and damaged wings? Could the
ants have been the cause of the absconding?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Bill Meister

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