Sounds like the way the Brits would pronounce those town names (somewhat).
Gotcha. I had different conditions where I call home, which isnât that much farther south than MA, but obviously made a big difference. We were shattering warm temperature records in February. I thought that was happening in a large part of the northeast, but I guess that wasnât the case! January and March were cold, but not brutal. Thankfully April has been pretty mild here in PA for my start in beekeeping!
I see what you did there. 
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Iâm in PA near Philadelphia (Fâluffya 
) and we also had ridiculous warm temps in February. Crocuses, daffodils & forsythia - and maples, all started blooming. @Anon posted about it - Gentleman & Ladies of NE USA Start your Engines - because it was so unusual. Then they were zapped by another snowstorm & lingering cold. Thatâs been known to happen, but never as early. Once in a while we get an April cold snap with maybe some snow, but it doesnât last for more than two or three days, so aside from more delicate flowers like magnolias, the most blossoms survive. This yearâs swings were more dramatic and I wonder how the bees have been coping with it.
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I think there was a good chance that the bees died off from Nosema Cerranae. This lives in the gut of most bees. During the summer any bees succumbing to this fly away and die away from the hive. Usually the rate of bees being produced exceeds those that die. The colony during the winter months may only produce a small number of bees and the colony dwindles. Come the spring the queen may have died or may be too sick to layâŚor may lay but not really get goingâŚso the colony dies.
If you still have some of the dead beesâŚtake 10 of them. Cut off the abdomenâŚmash up in a plastic bag with a teaspoon of water. Add a drop of the liguid mash to a microscope slice. It doesnât have to be a high magnificationâŚonly about 400x. If you donât have a microscopeâŚask at your nearest high schoolâŚthey always have them for students. As you twiddle the focus you may see the sporesâŚthey look like riceâŚtwo types of nosemaâŚpudding rice shape with rounded ends and pilau rice shape with pointy ends. Nosema Cerranae doesnât make them poo all over the hiveâŚso it is difficult to spot without doing a slide. TreatmentâŚif caught in time is thymolated syrup. You use a fine sprayâŚyou can get from garden centresâŚ(even a pressurised hand sprayer for greenhouse plants). Spray the bees on the comb every three daysâŚthree times. You will be amazed how they perk up. Also requeening helps. Nosema is endemic in bees. A strong hive can still succumb to it during the winter months. It is often called spring dwindling as the colony survives into the spring but then rapidly goes downhill.
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Thatâs really helpful - I tend to focus so much on varroa that I forget there are many other culprits. Good to keep in mind!
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Randy Oliver has done quite a bit of work on this question.
This is his description of how to sample. His web site has later articles updating the method, but this one has nice images of what to look for under the microscope:
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-13-simple-microscopy-of-nosema/
This is his article on a âquick crushâ and tells you how many Nosema you need to see before you treat:
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-16-the-quick-squash-method/
This article gives you microscope recommendations $200 to $500 price range:
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/the-nosema-twins-part-2-detection-microscopy/
I donât think he discusses Thymol, but it is a tried and tested method, and has the additional benefit of treating tracheal mites, if I am not mistaken. 
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