>
> All hives were started with 3 lb swarms of Italian bees/queens from =
> Walter T. Kelley. Since we are a Biodynamic farm, we started all the =
> hives with foundation strips rather than full sheets of
> foundation. This =
> is per Demeter specifications. We also use no chemicals
> except oxalic =
> and/or formic acids to control Varroa and Tracheal mites. We are =
> discouraged from using wintergreen oils for tracheal mites.
>
That is strange as I would think that the nice natural and mild wintergreen
(menthol) would be preferred over the caustic acids.

[cut]
>
> What I did find in most of the dead hives on at least two
> frames each =
> puzzled me as a fairly new beekeeper. I found clusters of
> what appeared =
> to be white eggs about the size of the end of a number 2 lead pencil =
> scatted over the frames and in the cells. Have you ever had an =
> experience with this phenomenon? If so what is it's cause? Please =
> contact me on this as I have told my employer that I would
> find what I =
> could from an expert in apiculture.

I am a bit far south so this is based on information that I have seen on
this list. You
may be able to get more information from the list archives. You may have
lost the queens in the hives (due in part to use of the acids) and near the
end a laying workers developed. Can you tell us how the size of these eggs
compared to normal bee eggs?

My guess is the hive then died due to Tracheal mites. You can check the
archives for information on how to test for these mites.