On 31/03/2013 4:28 PM, Kevin Gross wrote:
> my guess is that the beetles died by freezing to death once there were no bees to provide warmth.
>
> geoff, when you say they "did not get a queen away", do mean they became queenless and all left at once to join other colonies?

We do see the bees absconding when in distress, more so since SHB.
Sometimes with a queen, or virgin queen, and sometimes the bees seem to
just disappear.    They may well drift to other hives, but I have no
direct evidence for that.  Most/many do seem to be after failing to get
queens away.

Sometimes if one is only having a quick peek and lifts a lid the hive
will appear OK, honey and bees under the lid.  The trouble is that ALL
the bees are in that area and give a false indication. Sometimes they
are all out the front.

Geoff Manning

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