...I'll have more to post in the next few days.  I tried to ask some questions of the study authors, but was told that they want everything to go through "Letters to the editor" of the journal.  These are the questions that I asked (they seem pretty reasonable to me):

How were varroa and nosema monitored?  Is there more data recorded than what is in the publication?

Was a similar lack of late season buildup (as described in the paper) observed in other apiary locations managed or observed by Ken?

What exactly was found in the dead hives?  Any queens?  Any live bees?

It seems from the paper that the bees filled up two boxes full of comb by May 21st, with at least 14 frames of capped brood in every hive.  Is it normal for hives in this condition in these locations not to need more room at some point during the season?  Were any swarm prevention measures taken by the beekeepers?  Were honey supers added at all?  Were frames spun out?

Is there a record of how much blank HFCS each hive was fed at the end of the season (as described in the following passage)?:
                        “After September 20th, 2010 all hives fed with blank HFCS to ensure that all hives had at least 15 frames of stored food for the winter.”

If sometime after September 20th, all hives had 15 frames of stored food, did they need patties made of crystallized HFCS and sugar starting on Dec 22nd?  How much, how often?  If the bees were not short on stores, why were these patties fed?  If they were short on stores, why?  15 frames of feed should be plenty to winter on.

deknow

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