michael palmer wrote:
I think I'm seeing tracheal mite
> damage coupled with dysentary. The windy yards didn't get the early cleansing
> flights that the sheltered yards did. Lots of "boiled out" bees and evidence of
> dysentary in these yards. All the yards must have tracheal mites, but only the
> ones with dysentary problems are in poor shape.

I appreciate Michael's observations. Varroa is easy to blame, especially
Apistan resistant Varroa, which we do have here in Maine and it is
causing colony deaths, but many are losing there hives to tracheal and
blaming Varroa. Last winter I lost two of three hives when I have not
lost any in years (one died in the winter and I managed to kill the
other in the spring using oxalic acid improperly) and thought it was
resistant varroa but it was tracheal. As I have said before, I got
complacent and figured it was a thing of the past. The one hive going
into this winter was treated for tracheal and varroa (used Apistan), and
it came through fine. Bees are working the crocus right now. Forcast is
for up to eigth inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. Spring in Maine
means snow will be less than a foot. Should all be gone by August.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME.