--- You wrote:
Mine were just killed off my mites, if I read the symptoms correctly.
--- end of quoted material ---
a quick check after work yesterday informed me i have two dead and one live
hive.  how DO i diagnose mite kill-off?  there was some, maybe considerable,
capped and uncapped honey left.  i have not had a chance to closely inspect
the brood chamber for signs of foulbrood. i do not suspect foulbrood,
however.  the dead hives left most of a Crisco/confectioners sugar/terramycin
patty i put on top of the upper frames sometime in october.  did they die so
soon that they failed to get to it?  (or am i such a terrible cook?) does
honey plus lack of foulbrood next lead to the likely conclusion of mites??
 
the past few years i've suffered 50% winter mortality.  damned discouraging.