>   But this symptom is  unique.
> If you haven't seen it, you probably aren't looking at CCD.
>
> One caveat, this symptom may disappear in the summer when bees are most
> active.

Which seems to say that something else is at play here, since if it is
the definitive marker it should be there no matter what.

But then there is Peter's comment-
"Sometimes the hive will just sit there empty of bees but with lots of
stores, depite the presence of the other 95 hives in the apiary."

which is for a non-CCD event, yet it is the definitive marker for CCD.

Along with Peter, I have had hives vacant of bees but stores inside
ignored by bees, as well as had others robbed out.

As far as not seeing the definitive marker before, since the marker is
not consistent, you can easily argue that CCD was in fact present and
either not observed (since who was looking for it then?) or under
conditions when it "may disappear".

Tony knows just what he is looking at and has seen it before.  He is
one of the best observers of bees in the country and sees more
colonies from different apiaries than anyone in the country. Plus, his
initial observations when all this first started, seem to be correct.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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