> I only have a couple hives and don't quite understand why killing the
entire hive is necessary.

Colleen, Roger answered well, but please let me add.

Parasites (including viruses) constantly evolve.  When the rare hive
exhibits symptoms suggesting that it may have an unusually virulent
parasite, perhaps best to destroy that parasite completely before it
spreads.  There is simply no way in my area to completely isolate a hive.

Re killing bees.  It is illegal to use any unregistered product to kill
bees.  This would include soap, ether, etc.  This was a problem when the AHB
arrived--illegal to kill with soapy water.  I'm not sure how it was
resolved, but I believe that some allowance was made.

Re shaking out on a cold, rainy day.  It would be unlikely for any bees or
mites to survive to drift to other colonies.

Randy Oliver

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