Peter Dillon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

"Several colonies had floors covered by freshly dead bees (presumed so>due
to the colouring of the cuticle, absence of other debris
intermingled with bodies, no apparent compaction of the pile) - they
looked as if they had just fallen. The piles were 2 - 3 cm deep and
covered most of the floor area. So why are these bees there?"

This sounds to me like the normal mortality of overwintering bees while in
cluster. Perhaps the reason that they are found where they are in the
amounts you have described is that the hive cleaning and carrying off of
the dead responsibilities have not occured due to winter confinement and
the lack of a lower exit of the hive so that the dead could be picked up
and carried off out of the hive by worker bees.  I am interested in
hearing additional comments since I live in a more moderate climate here
in the Carolinas.

Regards,

Chuck Norton
Norton's Nut & Honey Farm
Reidsville, NC

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