> Pardon my asking, but what evidence would you expect to see in dead hives?

> Thought there might be some diarrhea?

This is the answer I expected. The connection between Nosema apis and dysentery is only that they both tend to occur in bees confined for long period in winter. But there is no direct correlation. However, Nosema apis appears to be rare, and there is nothing you can see in a dead hive to indicate that they may have had it. Checking for spores in the bees may tell little since the bees that were sick have long since gone. Even they could have died in fall, leaving the colony underpopulated as the sole actual symptom, which could lead to winter mortality. However, work done in Germany does NOT connect Nosema ceranae with winter mortality. 

Pete

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