Crikey, ML, that sounds like the very first hive you had with the SHB trouble.
By the way, I have 2 hives now after giving a small split away this week. One hive is in town and was nearly kaput until it superceded, and now is booming. (Booming for me is surviving with the potential for getting some capped honey sometime in the next couple of years). The hive at home is a tough queensland survivor which has to live in the harsh conditions like every other creature here.
Lone