> I managed to be given a bunch of brood boxes and supers with frames from
> a friend of a friend who stopped doing bee's several years ago.  These
> boxes and frames have been barn loft kept for several years...
 
You don't say whether there is any wax in the combs.  If there is, IMO,
you'd be nuts to cut and melt out the combs without checking for AFB
first.  If none is visible and the wax is not totally destroyed by mice
and worms, you are very safe in using them.
 
To find out how to check for AFB, there are very good descriptions in the
logs several years back as well as intelligent debate between the burn and
melt crowd and the guys (I'm one) who say that if there is little or no
AFB scale and you are in an area where medication with oxytetracycline is
regarded as okay, then just add bees.
 
The net is a lousy place to get advice if you don't even know what you are
looking at.  The best advice is to make friends with a few locals who
keep bees -- maybe join a club or haul your boxes over to a local
commercial beekeeper or bee inspector to look at.  Many hobbyists are very
knowlegable too, but it is hard for a beginner to determine if he has
accidentally stumbled onto one or two that make things away harder to do
than they have to be.
 
Search the logs, using 'AFB' and 'foulbrood' and 'scale' as keys.  Then if
you still have questions, maybe you can restart the debate :)
 
Allen
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