Dr. Hachiro Shimanuki in his treatise, "Synonymy in Bee Diseases," in
Honey Bee Pests, Predators, and Diseases, edited by Dr. Roger Morse,
Comstock Publishing Associates, 1978, said this so-called disease was,

"...a classic example of a misnomer. In the first place the bees
disappear, not the disease, and in my opinion, the term is used as an
umbrella for what may well be many maladies."

Indeed subsequent extensive research failed to isolate any disease
organism in stocks that exhibited the condition. The symptoms are
similar to other conditions like "autumn collapse," or "spring
dwindling," which appear to be the result of stress related to
nutritional imbalance.

Subsequent research by Drs. J. Kulincevic and W. Rothenbuhler at The
Ohio State University has revealed that expeller-processed soybean
flour, long used to feed bees, may have been the culprit in some
instances.

from:
APIS
Volume 2, Number 6, June, 1984
Copyright (c)1984 M.T. Sanford "All Rights Reserved"

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