Hello Jim & All,

We were asked at national meetings to quickly report large unexplained and rapid bee loss to the USDA.

All pallets of deadouts (except in early spring and winter ) are moved to a fumigated 40 foot ocean container
to be worked later . Both Glenn and I never place deadouts back in service without going through.

Dave H. & Lance S. had a USDA response from similar bee kills.

Samples?
Sure we have sent plenty and even before CCD to Europe for virus testing.

Strictly my opinion but based on decades of beekeeping:
 
The answer to Dave , Lance , Glenn and my loss would not be found in wax samples as all hives were effected in a short period of time. Two weeks in most.

Nor in bee samples.

 unless you found what I saw in a similar loss in Florida. About 300 yards from the holding yard a dump truck load of bees had landed not able to find their hives. Many were floating in a lake in another situation.
BEES DO NOT LAND ON WATER .

The original symptoms of CCD were fairly simple.

RAPID LOSS OF FIELD BEES

BEES NOT DYING IN HIVE

BROOD WITHOUT BEES TO COVER

Which is simple for beekeepers to explain. When the field force is gone the hives needs
are not met &  younger bees go to the field.

The mystery of CCD is Rapid loss and bees not found dead in hive or in front of the hive.

Yes I have saw similar before in pesticide kills. (archives)

Two types of pesticide kills.

1. bees make it back to hive and die in front.

2. bees die in field.

What did not fit a pesticide kill with CCD was no pesticide use found which usually happened in other pre CCD cases.

bee and pollen samples did not provide the answer.
 
Later I found cases of bees being not able to find the location of their hives.



bob

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