REGARDING RE>Survival of varroa
Whitney Cranshaw writes:
"Does any one know how long Varroa mites can survive in a non-occupied hive.
The question concerns how long previously infested equipment needs to be
stored unused to ensure that all varroa life stages have died out."
I don't believe that there is any evidence at all that varroa mites are able
to live without the bees for more than a few hours. Therefore you don't have
to worry about sterilization of hive equipment because of this pest. Just be
sure that the equipment is free of AFB.
Ted Fischer