Hello All!

Having inspected some colonies with these symptoms and reviewed Jerrys 
great observations, I will post my ‘first impressions‘.  As WRONG as I 
know they probably are, I consider them as first impressions, and do not 
stand firm on what I suggest as the situation evolves my impressions will 
evolve also. 

Jerry wrote the symptoms = *

*NO old bees.
*No dead bees inside or outside the hive.

Here in my area,,,
What comes to mind is our Chief Apiarist mentioned to me in a email the 
curiosity of lack of pollen in these affected colonies here in Pa, and I 
support this observation in the colonies I have seen exhibiting symptoms 
starting sometime around June-July.  IMO we are looking at something that 
was potentially affecting the colonies several months ago (damage done and 
or gone) and only now investigating the 'after symptoms' as they appear in 
the present, and therefore symptoms observed now may not reflect the 
actual cause. We are investigating in many cases a dead or dying colony 
that may have been exhibiting clear symptoms several months ago and the 
death or symptoms we are seeing NOW potentially caused by other factors 
such as starvation, dwindling and failure to thrive ect. complicating and 
deceiving the investigation.

From my observations earlier this season, there seemed to be a perplexing 
inability for the affected colonies to collect pollen or sufficient nectar 
to maintain minimal brood nest functions.  Due to the clear stress signs 
caused by this apparent lack of nutrition, I assume the colonies would 
have been doing all they can in reassigning of younger and younger bees to 
forager status, and reducing egg production due to lack of nutrition. 

The symptoms of dwindling I observed in some colonies was very gradual, 
and few dead bees inside or outside the hive was obvious to me over the 
length of several months.  This observation therefore does not support an 
absconding event or rapid dwindling from varroa suggested by many, which 
IMO would have exhibited distinct symptoms associated with such an event 
had varroa been the cause.  Its as if something is affecting these 
colonies ability to find or communicate the locations of nutritional 
forage,  it’s as if foragers are getting confused, lost and misdirected in 
the field which may explain the lack of dead bees near the colony over 
worked and dying out in the field or lost.  One thing, they certainly are 
not bringing sufficient pollen and nectar back to the colonies.  

*A cup or two of young bees are working hard to re-establish the colonies. 

This I am seeing also.  And I may add, what small amount of bees that are 
left look healthy and very small broodnest seemingly healthy,  EXCEPT for 
the apparent inability to manage adequate brood production, honey or 
pollen near the nest. 

*Brood chewed out. 
*Occasional wingless or deformed wing bee. 

My gut tells me, depending on severity, this could potentially be normal 
symptomatic of varroa and minor DWV and perhaps related, or perhaps not, 
but the timing certainly is right.

*Curious note, even the hive beetles are gone.

This is a great observation!!!!
Due to this obvious lack of SHB in these colonies,  and considering the 
SHB keen ability to select colonies from amongst the group that would have 
sufficient food.  I assume the SHB voluntarily abandoned theses colonies 
weeks earlier as the colony was in decline due to an apparent lack of 
food / attractants (pollen honey).  

This is a great observation, because the fact that the hive beetles are 
gone in these colonies suggests to me that a reduction of the SHB 
attractants (pollen and honey) also preceded the bee dwindling event!!!  
If it had been a rapid dwindling or absconding event, with all the pollen 
and honey left behind and less bees to protect it, the SHB would have made 
short work of the infected colonies.  This IMO is important information 
showing the symptoms of lack of pollen possibly occurring several months 
earlier.  The development stage of any existing SHB could be noted and may 
suggest an approximate SHB departing date. 

It would be interesting to compare stored pollen levels in these colonies 
with that of unaffected colonies and also pollen content in recently 
stored honey.

*Emerging adults stuck in cells, some with tongues out. 

Perhaps, this could be unrelated to the actual event and symptomatic of 
the later event of chilled brood caused by dwindling or stress, OR perhaps 
not. 

*And none of the hives are being robbed out. 

Another great observation, worthy of noting!!!!  
In the colonies that I have inspected here in PA,  robbing was also 
observed to be rather non existent.  I assume here the cause was because 
there was almost NO uncapped honey or nectar, and very little capped 
honey, much less odors that would cue a robbing event.  

This important to note because this particular observation does NOT 
support a rapid dwindling or absconding event.  This observation is more 
suggestive of a gradual reduction in stored honey preceding or coinciding 
with a gradual dwindling of bees to match, which are IMO a prerequisite 
for maintaining colony stabilization and protection from robbing while the 
colonies fundamentals are being eroded.

*Some evidence that there may be transfer of problem from hives set side 
by side, but so far has not spread to nearby (few hundred yards) beeyards. 

That these die offs are affecting single beeyards and not a yard several 
hundred meters away, could potentially suggest a breeding or management 
related factor due to the propensity for beekeepers to split colonies, 
leaving the daughter colonies in the same yard. So perhaps this might need 
investigated also, perhaps not.

It might be important to find colonies that are still healthy and 
exhibiting symptoms in the early stages, checking pollen foraging rates 
and comparing levels of stored pollen, nectar. 

Best Wishes,

Joe Waggle 
Ecologicalbeekeeping.com 
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries' 
Feral Bee Project:
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FeralBeeProject/

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