I went up and messed with the bees today. Taking apart their home is never a Good thing, it takes them 3 days of work to put everything back the way they want it, so at this point I do not mess with them any more than I have to. I took out the feeder and replaced it with a regular frame. They have not been using it anyway, and there were a number of dead bees in it. I guess that they drowned in the sugar water. I took out all of the frames with comb and bees on it and treated them for varroa mites with powered sugar. I simply dust them heavy with the sugar and they lick each other to get the sugar off, and that dislodges the mites. I also took this opportunity to wash off the lower base and the screen base with water and a stiff brush. That will not get rid of the American fowl brood, but I will make things smell a bit better, and well, I figured that it couldn't hurt.
The last operation was to treat them again with antibiotics, so they stay healthy. after everything that I set out to accomplish was done I put the hive back together and just watched them for awhile. It was good to see more bees coming and going. They are not what I would call out of the woods just yet, but I do feel a little bit better about their chances since I started using the medicine on them. Time will tell if I caught it in time. Nothing to do but wait and see at this point.
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.