All
 
I think we may all be in more agreement than it seems.  CCD was a name  
carefully chosen to not imply anything more than we know.  
 
The initial Fall Dwindling Disease terminology had three problems --  our 
surveys indicate that the problem was not confined to the fall, nor was it a  
dwindle in terms of taking several weeks of months to play out, and it may or  
may not be a disease.  CCD means Colony (the effects are at the colony  level), 
Collapse (sudden, rapid reduction of population sizes -- a couple of  weeks, 
maybe even a couple of days), and Disorder (since it may or may not be a  
disease).
 
CCD may be something new -- the nosema seen in Spain, the  neonictotinics 
(imidacloprid) used in France, a new virus, a fungus, the result  of throwing 
everything but the kitchen sink into a hive, etc.
 
OR
 
It may be something old -- a variation of mites and PMS, whatever went  
through colonies in LA and TX in the 60s, etc.
 
I'm leaning towards the something old, since the symptoms are the same as  in 
the 60s, and the inability to pin down a cause just as problematic.
 
It looks to be contagious, and the total absence of robbing, invasion by  
hive beetles, wax moth is peculiar.
 
Finally, our surveys are beginning to provide some useful  information.  
 
So far 105 beekeepers have responded.  Of the 53 reporting CCD, 17 fed  HF 
corn syrup, 19 fed sucrose.
 
I'd be hard pressed to argue that HFCS was the cause, or that sucrose  
provided any protection.  
 
35 of the CCD reports indicated that their hives had good pollen stores, 25  
reported good nectar stores, and 36 said that their hives had honey  stores.
 
Jerry
 
 
 
 

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