Hello Tom and All,
Hello old friend! One of these years I am going to cross the pond and meet
the Irish beekeepers !

Tom wrote:
> I will stay with the treating of this apiary using FGMO and who knows it
may    recover. Only time will tell.

When varroa first hit we came across yards with infestations like you
describe. Way past threshold. Dr. Shiminuki and others said we would be
wasting our money(on chemicals) to try and save the colony.
I like you tried to save a few yards.  "Shim" was right. They died anyway.
Important reasons not to try and save a hive which is way over threshold.
They contain a huge amount of varroa and the foragers are still coming in
contact with other colonies bees spreading varroa. As the hives get weaker
(which they will in my opinion) they will get robbed out spreading varroa
further. Colonies with infestation levels like you describe will abscond
further spreading varroa.
*Beekeepers in the area which did treat will get reinfested after their
treatments are over from those hives.*
I would move any hives left untreated or past threshold you are trying to
save to a very very remote area or simply depopulate those over threshold.
I don't mean to be the bearer of gloom and doom but varroa control is a
tough game until all those uninformed beekeepers hives not trying to control
varroa die off (which they will in a couple years).
I speak from experience. I went through the situation you are now in years
ago.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri
Ps. Review some of the posts I did on your list about varroa when I had time
to do another list.