Thanks for the half dozen direct responses I received to my query about my dead bees. Although one respondent warned about diagnosing bees he hadn't seen, the guesses were primarily varroa or trachial mites. One respondent, Wayne Esaias, invited me to cross the Potomac to visit the Montgomery Co Beekeepers Monday night class. I did so last night, and brought a frame from my hive with me. (In a plastic bag). Even though I had read and heard about American Foul Brood, there is nothing like having an expert beekeeper point out in person, on_my_own_ frame, what the symptoms of AFB are. Sure enough, the larvae "roped" when we broke a capped brood cell. And the smell is indescribably strong, especially when inspecting a frame indoors that had been sealed for a day. It's an expensive (and sad) lesson to learn, but the way to do it is with my own bees, with an expert looking over my shoulder.... In a room full of beekeepers, if you wave an AFB-infected frame around, it is amazing how quickly they back up <g>. I had the same reaction. If the spores live for up to 50 years, then anything I touched while working the bees might be contaminated....scary... The investigation turns to why and how AFB got to my hive. I started a single hive with all new equipment and a package from Weavers (a widely respected outfit) in the spring of 94. I lost the queen in the spring of 95, replaced her, and treated with Apistan. They almost made it thru two complete seasons. One possibility is that my bees robbed honey from a nearby hive, and brought AFB with it. I may be in a "pocket" of AFB. I am trying to find our state bee inspector, who ought to know these things, and should be able to find others with AFB, and destroy their hives. He also should be able to assist me in fumigating my equipment so it can be re-used. (I have sealed the hive so other bees can't rob it). The beekeepers in Montgomery County, Maryland, all seemed to have a low opinion of the state beekeeping inspection services in Virginia. In two years as a hobbyist/beekeeper in Arlington, Virginia, I have come across lots of resources and help in Maryland, but none in Virginia. Why is this? That's the end of the chapter. Now, I have time to replace the equipment (or fumigate the old?) and reorder a bee package for an April 15th hiving. But if my unknown neighbor's hive or a feral colony still has AFB, am I buying more misery? thanks to all, Blair Reischer Arlington, VA.