> Not recommended in Manitoba, even dead frozen drone brood may contain viruses,the mites legacy lives far beyond its death

Bailey showed decades ago that bee colonies all contain pathogens, including viruses. The presence of pathogens is not what finally makes the colony sick, although obviously were there no pathogens, they would get sick. At some point the immune system is overcome by pathogens, and then an organism becomes diseased. 

Bee colonies spend a large amount of time removing waste including dead larvae, feces, dead adults, etc. So, they should have no trouble getting rid of the frozen drones. In fact, they may gain food value from eating them. Insofar as the viruses are concerned, I don't see how taking a frame out of a hive, freezing it and putting it back, is going to give them anything they didn't already have. 

On the other hand, killing the mites should make them less susceptible to illness, since they won't have those little bloodsuckers poking holes in their integument. But if it worries you, you can feed the brood to the chickens.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm