>A live hive is not necessary a HEALTHY hive.

But for sure and certain a dead hive is NOT healthy

contagious?   I think so (99%)

What's a healthy hive worth? $1-200?
So a small yard is 2-5000$
Add infected frames to half of the hives
Observe closely for 3-4 months
Then you will have an adequate description of symptoms for that time of year
(as well as confirmation of infectivity)
Would cost more for inspections than hives
Is it too simple??

Well then WHY are there no comments (ANYWHERE)  on INDIVIDUAL bee symptoms???
Except for yours truly

If I didn't have (poor) videos I might think myself deluded, 
but I have enough faculties left to remember events 3.5y ago

I'd never seen bees do "that" before (the whole panoply of rear leg movements)
If my year zero =summer06 thats +9months, every hive left alive (4+5N)showed symptoms, sounds contagious to me
(slight variations in symptoms themselves and ratio of mix of symptoms )
This slight variability would be something to be expected for an infective agent

All those 5N suffered a ccd abscond @24-25 months (from full sized hive G->GP, normal crop)
leaving a contaminated dead-out. I should have burned more than half of the frames, stupidly did not
The next year got serious with VC, have had no absconds since (one bad frame made "stunted nuc",defective Q)
But all the hives were alive this past spring, even the Qless stunted nuc. So some progress

I can't claim any special credit to notice symptoms since a majority of the bees
were doing it, one would have to be blind not to see it.  These were "special circumstances" x2
usually its not so blatent. However not imposable to see if looked for (ramp test will always show)

Am I confusing symptoms with the specific pathogen?
Usually pathogens have Known symptoms

But not this one!
I am astounded 
This all may drive me insane

But I can't leave it at that, last thought is
ankle rub = ccd

dave

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