--- elaborate on what you think "evidence of mites" is in a deadout or abandoned colony ---

When answering calls from beeks that have lost a hive, I've found it extremely practical to sample the bottom board and paw through the detritus.  The odds-on favorite is the usual discovery of plenty of dead mites mixed in with the dead bees.  

I'm with John - it's a rare opportunity to find a hive without mites and anyone who claims that there are no mites involved either a) missed the opportunity to capture the proverbial Golden Goose or perhaps b) simply doesn't know what a damned mite looks like.  Since I only believe in Fairy Tales when dealing with young innocent children, my proclivity is to assume that b) is generally the underlying answer in all these sorts of cases.

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