varroa mites categorically did not come from the equipment. they come from the bees themselves. and they are so prevalent that if you have honey bees, you also have varroa mites. it's just a matter of controlling their numbers with testing and treating. the common methods for testing is either an isopropyl alcohol wash, or a powdered sugar roll. alcohol wash will kill the bees you test but it's faster, powdered sugar roll works just as well. basically just count the mites and anything over a thresh hold means you need to treat your bees or watch them struggle/die.