>
> >Thus, I asked John Chesnut to explain why he was so confident in thinking
> that mites explain why bees abandon a hive, in the absence of any other
> information or evidence.
>

Much of this thread appears to hang on semantics.  "Absconding" means that
the colony packs up as a whole, generally after ceasing of broodrearing in
advance, and then flies off to establish elsewhere.  This behavior is
common with Apis dorsata, A.m. scutellata, and AHB.  I've also heard that
AHB and Apis ceranae may abscond due to over smoking.

I also have rarely seen a colony of Italian-type bees in California
abscond, despite heat, lack of forage, parasites, or starvation.  They
generally simply dwindle.  But I've heard of colonies absconding in the
Midwest during intense heat.  I've only seen colonies abscond (or perhaps
they simply drifted off individually) when thymol was applied too intensely.

On the other hand, at the late stage of a varroa/virus collapse, the colony
generally rapidly depopulates rapidly by drifting or altruistic self
removal, generally leaving behind a little scattered sealed brood and
plenty of honey.  This can happen in as little as a week--giving the
appearance of overnight disappearance.

Nosema can also cause rapid depopulation--so rapid that plenty of brood is
left behind, or perhaps a queen and a handful of live young workers in a
large patch of abandoned brood.  This is typical of "classic" CCD
"symptoms"--I've observed this in real time at every stage.

I've also notice (as have others in recent posts) that colonies with a high
degree of parasitism will often send off small swarms, which I generally
see late in the summer.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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