hives which had been striken by CCD also possessed  Nosema .  Nosema is a genus of parasites, The dormant stage of nosema is a long lived spore which is resistant to temperature extremes and dehydration. (sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosema and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosema_apis ). "Nosema apis" can multiply only in living honey bee midgut cells. Research