Why Bees Are So Complicated?

Hives in Shakopee

When I thought that everything was going well... Well....I "lost" 3 queens!!!! I don't know where they went, I don't know what happened to them. Do you remember I could not see any eggs!

From deduction, and observation I can only speculate to what could have happened to those queens which  are located in different apiaries and about 10-15 miles apart. One reason, the queens became sick suddenly (because, they did not lay anymore eggs before dying, hence no replacement queens possible) This is absolutely contrary to nature... in doing so, the colony will be extinct. The second possible explanation, would be that I crushed or injured all of them when manipulating the frames! I would think that I am careful, but maybe one could be injured but 3!!! Highly unlikely.

The third option, would be that mosquito control was used by the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District  in that region. But I checked with the environmental Coordinator in Eden Prairie, she said that the helicopters that I saw were not spraying chemicals but "they may do some chemical spraying or use briquettes on the ground in specific areas however."  I looked on their website: http://www.mmcd.org/index.html (Metropolitan Mosquito Control District) and either the lakes/ponds and swamps around the colonies had not been sprayed yet, or they use Bt in granules...which is "supposed" to not affect honey bees! So, now you have it!!! Even if I am suspicious of this type of control.

Spring planting in MN (photo: Tim Post)

Still not satisfied, I then asked at the University of Minnesota,  (Entomology Department)  a very knowledgeable professor, and well known apiarist. They both suspected dust emitted by tractors when planting seeds! The idea is that each seed is coated with  chemicals called neonicotinoids, in order to deter insects from damaging the plant as it grows. Again, I am suspicious about this idea. It is in fact been a lot in the media, but has not been scientifically proven to be a sole culprit in the death of honey bees.

All this to me is only speculation, and absolutely not a certainty. I don't know what happened to my queens; all I know is that they were doing well, laying good eggs, and looking plump and  healthy. Then, 10 days later, during my inspection, they were gone/ dead with no possible replacement because the queens had suddenly stopped laying eggs. Therefore, the workers had no capacity to raise a queen on their own to save their colony.
I found this strange   and troubling that it happened to 3 of my hives simultaneously! The hives would have been doomed if I had not intervened. How sad is that? The bees, with all their ingenuity, and efficacy would have perished. What a calamity....