The Great Sunflower Project

Jerry Bromenshenk has been involved with Colony Collapse Disorder
from the very beginning. He and his colleagues at the University of
Montana, the U.S Army's Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, his
own company called Bee Alert Technology, and BVS, Inc. have ferreted
out an amazing amount of information on this Disorder and are close
to understanding the answers to this problem.

Because of their work, the beekeeping community is more aware of the
best management practices over time to combat the worst of the
regular pests and diseases bees have, and this year the almond
orchards should have an ample supply of bees for pollination, in part
due to their efforts, and of course the work of many other
researchers and scientists. Of course it's only late December and
bees are fickle, fragile creatures and in bee time, it's a long way
to February.

Over the two years that Colony Collapse Disorder has been a
recognized problem, this group has probably visited more beeyards
suffering from CCD, in more locations, and over a longer a time than
most of the people involved in this search. As a result, in a full
report prepared by this team to be released in the February issue of
Bee Culture magazine, Bee Alert's Scott Debnam and Jerry Bromenshenk
from Missoula Montana, David Westerveld from Florida's Apiary
Inspections Bureau, and Randy Oliver, a commercial beekeeper with
significant honey bee research experience from Grass Valley,
California, detail the symptoms of CCD with respect to where it hits,
and when it hits. This information is critical in making a diagnosis
as symptoms do change as seasons progress and knowing what to look
for and when to look for it is absolutely necessary in making correct
decisions. So far, no better guidelines exist for diagnosing this
disorder.

To review what's commonly known, the symptoms of the final stages of
CCD have been oft repeated. In collapsed colonies:
• Complete absence of older adult bees in colonies, with few
or no dead bees in the colony, on the bottom board, in front of the
colony, or in the beeyard.
• Presence of capped brood in colonies during time of year
when queen should be laying.
• Presence of food stores, both honey and pollen, unless a
drought or time of year restricts availability of food resources.
• Absence of pest insects such as wax moth and hive beetle.
• Lack of robbing by other bees
• Robbing and return of hive pests is delayed by days or weeks.
• Too few worker bees to maintain brood that is present.
• Remaining bee population predominately young bees.
• Queen is present.
• Queen may lay more eggs than can be maintained by workers,
or is appropriate for the time of year.
• Cluster is reluctant to consume supplemental food such as
sugar syrup and pollen supplement.

However, these are the terminal symptoms. By the time colonies reach
this point it is far too late to do anything but bury the dead. Being
able to spot colonies that are just becoming affected is a real plus
because beekeepers can turn them around most times and keep them
productive. Even though they still don't know the cause, proper and
appropriate management techniques go a long way in helping. Here's
what the team has found:

One year out: Colonies are "just not doing well" with few other
visible symptoms. They seem healthy, but have lackluster honey
production.

Six months out: Symptoms are vague and easily missed. Monthly
inspections and careful comparisons are needed. Brood nests are slow
to expand, with most in a single hive body. Mid-day inspections show
bees dispersed in the colony, but this varies. Population growth
slows to stops during growing season when compared to other colonies
in the same yard. Honey stores remain untouched, bees are feeding on
nectar recently collected. These symptoms are difficult to spot due
to the careful comparisons needed.

Three months out: CCD colonies appear slow to grow and are outpaced
by non-CCD colonies in the apiary. There is a noticeable population
decrease going from 3 to 2 boxes, or 2 to 1, and often the bees are
on only a few frames in the bottom box…and they appear restless.
Brood is shot gunned because of dead brood removal, and honey stores
begin to diminish if it's late in the season, but if early, the honey
remains untouched. Routine maintenance goes undone and no propolis
seals are noticeable.

One month out: Usually 8 frames of bees or fewer remain and they
decline rapidly. Brood is produced, but can't be supported, queen
replacement is often tried and abandoned brood is common. Stored
honey depends on the season…in summer it may all be depleted, in
winter untouched.

Finally: Remaining bees fail to eat supplied food or medications, and
it's mostly young bees that remain now, as the older bees are gone.
Queens continue to lay excessively, and the colony usually lacks any
aggressiveness at all.

Visual Symptoms of a CCD Colony

1. Just days before its collapse the colony seemed to be strong
and fully functional
2. Mostly young bees remaining in the hive
3. Bees are not aggressive
4. Queen is present
5. Eggs are present
6. Full frames of brood may be present
7. Brood may show signs of "shotgun" pattern
8. Capped honey and fresh nectar are often present, although not
in summer collapses, which are uncommon
9. Fresh pollen has been stored in the hive recently, if
external resources are available
10. Supplemental feed (syrup and extender patties) if supplied,
are ignored
11. No robbing occurs
12. No secondary pests (small hive beetles, wax moths or ants)
are found
13. No dead bees are noted around entrance of the hive
14. Bees do not show any signs of winglessness, paralysis or
other adult bee diseases.

CCD tends to travel like a wave through a beeyard, and combining
affected and unaffected colonies usually gives 2 dead colonies.
Adding a package may help, and may not. There is a time until
secondary pests will move in…using equipment before that time for
more bees is risky and the colony may die again.

The Cause of Colony Collapse Disorder remains unknown, but the
diagnosis, and thus the opportunity to administer remedial treatments
is getting better all the time.

For the full article with additional information see the February
issue of Bee Culture on our web site www.BeeCulture.com after
February 1. Thanks to Scott, David, Jerry and Randy.

This message brought to you by Bee Culture, The Magazine Of American
Beekeeping www.BeeCulture.com