Thanks for the half dozen direct responses I received to my query
about my dead bees.
 
Although one respondent warned about diagnosing bees he hadn't seen,
the guesses were primarily varroa or trachial mites.  One respondent,
Wayne Esaias, invited me to cross the Potomac to visit the Montgomery
Co Beekeepers Monday night class.  I did so last night, and brought a
frame from my hive with me.  (In a plastic bag).
 
Even though I had read and heard about American Foul Brood, there is
nothing  like having an expert beekeeper point out in person,
on_my_own_ frame, what the symptoms of AFB are.  Sure enough,
the larvae "roped" when we broke a capped brood cell.  And
the smell is indescribably strong,  especially when inspecting a
frame indoors that had been sealed for a day.  It's an expensive (and
sad) lesson to learn, but the way to do it is with my own bees, with
an expert looking over my shoulder....
 
In a room full of beekeepers, if you wave an AFB-infected frame
around, it is amazing how quickly they back up <g>.  I had the same
reaction.  If the spores live for up to 50 years, then anything I
touched while working the bees might be contaminated....scary...
 
The investigation turns to why and how AFB got to my hive.  I started
a single hive with all new equipment and a package from Weavers (a
widely respected outfit)  in the spring of 94.  I lost the queen in
the spring of 95, replaced her, and treated with Apistan.   They almost made it
thru two complete seasons.
 
One possibility is that my bees robbed honey from a nearby hive, and
brought AFB with it.  I may be in a "pocket" of AFB.  I am trying to
find our state bee inspector, who ought to know these things, and
should be able to find others with AFB, and destroy their hives.
He also should be able to assist  me in fumigating my equipment so it
can be re-used.  (I have sealed the hive so other bees can't rob it).
 
The beekeepers in Montgomery County, Maryland, all seemed to have a
low opinion of the state beekeeping inspection services in Virginia.
In two years as a hobbyist/beekeeper in Arlington, Virginia, I have
come across lots of resources and help in Maryland, but none in
Virginia.  Why is this?
 
That's the end of the chapter.  Now, I have time to replace the
equipment (or fumigate the old?) and reorder a bee package for an
April 15th hiving.  But if my unknown neighbor's hive or a feral
colony still has AFB, am I buying more misery?
 
thanks to all,
 
Blair Reischer
Arlington, VA.