The thought of a virus living in the comb occured to me also.
I lost my first hive (Italians) to high mite levels and DWV. I reused this
comb the following year for a new package (Minnesota Hygenics) and it died
also. Same symptoms. My other 2 packages hived the same day came through
this winter very well. This suspect comb is going to be fertilizer
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---