"If the bees dried out, so that the gut contents didn't decompose"

The bees where not dry and not very decomposed either.  I took samples from 
two dead outs, used 60 bees crushed in 60 mls of water for each sample.

Sample 1 the hive has been closed up out doors and dead for about 2 weeks. I 
saw only two spores on the slide. They did not move up to the food so 
figured they starved. They where this a years split and I had to re queen 
them in August. It was never a strong hive.

Sample 2 has been dead for about 4 weeks and I had put the dead hive in my 
greenhouse which can get up to 80 F. on a sunny day. This hive had probably 
around 100 spores. The bees had stubby bodies but no deformed wings and 
there was drippy poop on top of some frames. They where in three medium 
boxes and only three frames of the thirty had drippy poop. (An experiment 
since at our shop more people buy mediums than deeps because at bee school 
they scare every one about the weight of the deeps, I thought I would run a 
hive with mediums since I never had.)

I need to understand about the spore count since I can't afford a 
haemocytometer. Would ruled slides be better than plain? I hate estimating 
the count but guess I am going to have to.
Look at this link to see the ruled slides.
http://www.delta-education.com/productdetail.aspx?Collection=N&prodID=5473&menuID

Karen T-K 

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