Spring Dwindle Disease Research Paper

Although this is not a new disorder, previously called spring dwindle disease, autumn collapse or disappearing disease, there have been higher-than-usual reports of colony loss since the fall and winter of 2006 with signs similar to those of colony collapse disorder. The symptoms include the dwindling and insufficient numbers of worker bees with few or no dead bees around the colony, the presence of bee brood (bee larvae), the presence of food, pollen and honey deposits that are not immediately stolen by other bees or pests (or is noticeably delayed), and the presence of a queen bee. This is a seemingly spontaneous disease, but there is much speculation about the actual cause for this strange and deadly behavior. The theories range from pesticides,