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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