Liz Day says:
> Perhaps whatever this is is occurring while the cuticle is still soft,
when the bee has just emerged?
I would agree that it would have to happen early. The dent is triangular in
shape, and very deep, on the dorsal thorax. It would seem so deep as to
impair functioning, but the bees seem fine. There were about a half dozen
hives that we noticed this trait in. It was only a small number, perhaps
100-200 workers in each hive. They seemed to be normal in all other respects.
 I have never seen this in my own bees.
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 29554      Dave Green