...
>        Western NY - commercial beekeeper observed while scraping his
>deadouts , hives with "bee parts" strewn over the top bars and on the
>frames. He stated "it was like they fell apart". I'm wondering if this
>could be septicemia ? Is any one out there familiar with this ?
 
I've been noticing this as well while cleaning out my dead hives.  I just
thought it was from the dessication of the dead bees - causing many wings
and legs to fall off and appear strewn about (the pieces fall down thru the
combs).  The symptoms I'm finding are not like in past years.  That is, not
hives full of winter stores and no bees; more like clusters that appear
spread out haywire and thinly scattered, or concentrated in small bunches
in various parts of the hive.  Really weird.  Also floors just filled to
capacity with dead bees.