The insidious thing about mites is that you don't see a sign of them until
it is too late. A hive can look great, and still be under attack.  Because
the danger is under the capped cells, the colonies often look great until
they just crash or abscond.  Even worse, the more brood the bees raise, the
worse the mite population.  That is why it is often the biggest, nicest
looking hives that are the most at risk.   The hives that stayed little,
swarmed, or was made late and never caught up are actually less at risk.
If you look in that big hive ,and even look really closely at the bees, you
may never see a mite - even in a colony with a dangerously high
infestation.   The only way to know is to monitor.   You can use the
alcohol wash as Kristen recommended, or you can use a powder sugar roll if
you prefer  - as long as you are using a method specifically designed to
give you a percent infestation (University of Minnesota and Michigan State
University sell a pre-made mite check kit at Mann Lake).

You definitely are not alone.  I have received many reports this fall (in
Michigan) from beekeepers who lost colonies in late summer / fall.  In all
cases, they were nice big hives, and in all cases, the beekeeper had not
 monitored for mites, and didn't have them under control.  The silver
lining, is that the honey is just fine to use, and the mites don't hang
around in a dead hive, so you can reuse your equipment and get started for
next year.

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