Is it safe to reuse the equipment from colonies that have been lost during
the winter? 

> If it can be determined that bees starved or died due to other reasons
associated with typical winter loss, it does appear safe to reuse equipment,
including honey stores and pollen, but caution is advised and equipment
probably needs to be aired thoroughly. Also you should seriously consider
replacing old comb with new foundation on a regular basis. 

> However if your colonies died from what appears to be CCD, reusing
equipment is not advised since we do not yet know the cause of this
condition. Members of the CCD working group have initiated experiments that
will look at various comb sterilization techniques for suggestions in the
future.

from
CCD Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (3/2007)
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/ColonyCollapseDisorder.html

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