I have a hive that I think has deformed wing virus. It has recently been requeened but she is not laying well and the hive is dwindling. I had planned to combine it with a swarm that is doing pretty well hoping to use the new queen. I am unsure if this is a good idea. I intend to remove the honey from the swarm next week and start medication on all my hives (Mite-Away II). I will re-evaluate queens at that time but I suspect that the swarm queen (although older) is a better layer.

Two questions: 1. will a hive with a verroa vector virus infect newly introduced individuals or are the viruses only transmitted by direct contact with verroa mites? 2. does the virus contaminate the wooden-ware?

Thank you for your thoughts.