Hello to All,
I told Jerry a while back that I thought that all the CCD scenario was just mass swarming/absconding - he said at the time that it did not fit the situation in the USA and that what I had observed in Cyprus during mid to late summer was probably something completely different.  To make a short story out of a long one - one or more hives absconds and bees (workers/queens/drones) from some or all of the hives in the apiary join this absconding swarm, which can either stay in the vicinty of the apiary, or just fly off to pastures unknown and may also enter other colonies in the same apiary or elsewhere.    I have personally seen all this happen and with this in mind can see that many observations reported by others support this scenario/hypothesis.
I proposed at the time the acronym of MASS (Multiple Absconding Swarming Syndrome).
Best wishes
Roger White
Cyprus.

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