In a message dated 02/11/2006 13:29:33 GMT Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<Working as an inspector, I have seen this in hundreds of  hives.>>


    I've seen it many times as well. The pupae look  perfectly fresh and 
healthy, and don't discolour in any way. They're all  uncapped at the same stage 
too, when the eyes are light purple, and they darken  normally if the pupae are 
left alone for a while, which would be unlikely if  they were dead. I've 
never had any bad smell at all from them. The odd  time I did have bees uncapping 
a lot of dead pupae, they were a solid mass  of chalk by the time they got to 
them. 
 
    Regards,
 
    Robert Brenchley

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