On Sat, 8 Sep 2012 19:22:56 -0400, "Ray"
> wrote:

>It can't possible be someone throwing out the starters. I can still smell
>the alcohol on a couple of the older ones.
>
>We have had a good deal of rain and humidity in the past few days, but that
>hasn't been a problem in the past.
>
>Also, a couple of weeks ago we put in a new air-conditioning system which
>keeps the apartment cooler and drier, but I've made certain the starters are
>in a warm environment.
>
>This is a real mystery.

If you have made unsuccessful attempts to refresh all 4 starters, and
all 4 have failed simultaneously, either they were simultaneously
contaminated with a critter that overwhelmed the balance of what was
there and established, or something killed them off altogether.

Do keep in mind that warmth has the potential to do more damage than
cold to a starter, and that they a starter, and can easily be kept in
the fridge in between refreshments, once established.

You may never know what did it. Sad as the loss is, you have to get
going on creating a new starter if you want to keep baking, and if you
are a person such as myself, who keeps multiple starters around, I am
betting you bake with some frequency.

Boron