Robin wrote: "Can surveying ordinary beekeepers on cause of death of their colonies really produce reliable data?"

I don't think that most beekeepers are reliable when it comes to diagnosing cause of death in their hives quite often. When most guys I know find a deadout they get bees back in it asap and don't spend a lot of time trying to figure out what caused the previous colony to die, short of looking at combs to see if AFB is in evidence. Starvation is pretty simple to determine. But other than beekeeper error, neglecting to feed, is there more to determine there?

Unless there is a contagion in the comb, does it matter much what killed a colony of honeybees?

Is there anyone trying to determine the cause of losses? The Bee Informed Partnership perhaps? Apiary Inspectors of America?

Did AIA present a report at the American Beekeeping Federation Meeting a couple weeks ago?

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