>"The Disappearing Trick" is a term coming into common use among Australian bee-keepers, and there's nothing funny about it, either. The older bees of a colony disappear in a sudden and mysterious manner, the strongest colonies appearing to be the ones most affected, causing very heavy loss of colonies. The bee-keepers are asking that government come to their aid by making investigations looking to cause and cure.

AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
CHICAGO, ILL, JAN. 8. 1903.

The above is nothing new.  The Australasian Beekeeper magazine of the early 1900's talks about disappearing disease in Victoria.  It was put down to Nosema.  A bad autumn were a beekeeper works the pollen deficient or pollen poor flows, a harsh winter and voila, no bees in spring.

After the early 1900's the disappearing disease does not seem to figure in beekeeping.  Plenty of items where bees come out in poor conditions but again put down to Nosema but no major cases of no bees.

I recall a beekeeper friend in Scotland, who now lives in Australia, telling me that he could tell you how his bees would come out in spring.  It depended on what the autumn conditions were.  Good conditions, good bees.  Poor condition, poor bees.  Down to Varroa and Nosema.

Trevor Weatherhead
Australia

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