Joe writes:
> colonies do not fail or succeed based on singular reasons.

Dave writes:
Oh I wish, I wish
But there is another reason, I am a poor BK
If you ignore sick bees for months, then the result is predictable
4+ months later, early November, of 15+2, 4+1 had left,
presently 5+2 absconds   (hives+nucs)

Let me start by saying you are not a poor BK.
Mistakes are made by all beekeepers.
Dont let any beekeeper tell you they are
flawless at keeping bees.

In your case,,,
Failure to identify sick bees in a timely manner.
And failure to remedy the problem with corrective action.
,,,,are both management errors which can be 
corrected in the future.

Now we must investigate further to find the reason
why your bees became sick and weak, which will
be yet another contributor the the colonies failure.

>5 years now, I would have hoped for better

Its a learning experience.  Investigate
why the colonies succumbed, and take care to
make corrective action in the future.  Investigating
why a colony fails is very important for the 
development of your skills as a beekeeper.

When investigating the cause of a colonies 
demise, -typically, you need to look back
several months to analyse what circumstances
took place which led up to the final event of 
colony failure.  

Best Wishes,
J. Waggle
Pennsylvania
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHoneybeeArticles/

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