Check there are no capped cells still in the broodframes and if you        
     find them, uncap and inspect. Presumably there are no workers left in      
     these hives you mention?                                                   
                                                                                
     Varroa can survive in [dead] sealed brood for over 30 days (Shabanov       
     et al. 1978) but this seems to be the limit. Without adult bees to         
     open such still-capped cells, the varroa cannot be liberated to find       
     another food source and therefore they die.                                
                                                                                
     If the colonies have been totally unoccupied for some time, you            
     shouldn't worry too much about infection from varroa but check the         
     frames for signs of other disease, esp chalkbrood and the foulbroods       
     before hiving new colonies in them.                                        
                                                                                
     Hope this helps.                                                           
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
     Max                                                                        
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Survival of Varroa                                                     
Author:  [log in to unmask] at INTERNET1                             
Date:    04/06/96 14:35                                                         
                                                                                
                                                                                
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.              
                                                                                
Thank you for your attention to this.                                           
                                                                                
Whitney Cranshaw                                                                
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