What happened?

[RZRBCK BEE]

I lost a few hives over the winter and it has me stumped. Heading into winter they were very strong hives in double deeps and had plenty of stores left as most of those frames of honey and syrup were still left. Not more than a handful of bees were left and they were dead also. There wasn't a bunch of dead bees on the bottom boards like I saw last year when I knew they starved. No swarm or supercedure cells anywhere to be found on any of the frames either. I thought at first maybe they had swarmed late and I just didn't know it but that don't seem to be the case. It was like they just disappeared all at once for no apparent reason but which I am sure they must of had one or they would still be there or dead on the floor. Any ideas?

Thanks

Randy

[T Beek]

Pesticide poisoning is my best guess.

thomas

[Kathyp]

it's not uncommon to lose a few over winter.  the queen fails, they don't access food, they are disturbed by mice, heavy mite load/virus-disease from mite or other...could be anything.   i think queen death is more common that we think.  the hive does not maintain it's organization without her.  lose her late in fall or very early in spring and the hive will be done.

if the bees died off gradually, there might have been enough to keep things clean.  also, if the queen was lost and the bees had the chance to be flying, they may have drifted to other hives. 

[Brian D. Bray]

When bees condense nectar into honey they remove approximately 80% of the water content leaving concentrated solids in what water content remains.  If the bees have visited plants that have been treated with insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, (thanks to Montesano such 'cides are now incorporated into many crops DNA) the ratio of poisons is also changed.  What might have been a non-lethal exposure as nectar becomes a lethal dose due to concentration and repeated exposure.

When mixed with honey bee parasities, like viruses, T and V mites, etc, we end up with what is currently being called CCD. 
Poisons+Parasites=Coloney Colapse Disorder.