Absconding, as all here know, is real and has several causes, one of which
is lack of resources.

In an early post it was noted that they had a dry spell. That happens in
parts of Maine in August and if you do not feed, you are liable to have
colonies abscond. This has happened and did so well before Varroa.

I have never had a problem but area close by me have. Another case of all
beekeeping is local, even within a few miles.

We live in interesting times as beekeepers.

It all depends on what your current villain is as to what killed your
colonies. Most of the time it is Varroa (which is really shorthand for not
just the mite but all they bring into the discussion). But in the past few
years, here in Maine, there have been Varroa kills that have really been
Tracheal mites and pesticide kills (neonics were blamed) which were
Varroa.Even bad queens were blamed that turned out to be a colony rift with
Varroa.

Even so, it could have been absconding, especially if there was no trace of
Varroa, and the low honey stores is another clue. What actually caused it
all depends on the quality of the inspection.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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