Greetings Jerry and others:

Thanks to those working so hard to investigate this problem.  My 
perspective on this relates both as a beekeeper and someone who has lived 
and observed in very close proximity to nature for nearly 5 decades.  I 
don't think the phenomenom of gross population collapse within an 
overpopulated species is unusual in nature and in fact is the norm.  It is 
important just the same to try and find the factors that triggered it at 
this scale.

In beekeeping we see peak years for mites, disease and other problems which 
in the natural world act as natures manner of population control. We 
interfere with this by the use of man made controls maintaining the un-
natural overpopulation needed to maintain the many facets of monoculture 
that is modern farming. As we move our bees in and out of wide ranges of 
territories we speed up the exchange of natural population controls that 
may exist in one area of flora and fauna and move them quickly to other 
areas. We maximize the host potential for disease and pest problem merely 
by our basic management and movement practices. All these cycles are at 
some point going to reach an apex for which we can't provide effective 
controls due to organisms attaining resistance and population controls 
again taking over. This may have been aggravated by a poor season weather 
and forage wise causing a collapse like we have seen starting late last 
year. At any rate, nature, except in sudden weather, earth event,or man 
made disaster, is a slow process by rule and the symptoms of what we are 
seeing we have been watching for years working towards a climax, which 
incidentally the worst of which may be yet to come!

It is re-assuring to see the attention many qualified people are giving 
this matter and offer a strong thanks for speed and depth at which this 
information has been forthcoming.

Best Regards,
Joel

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