This thread about purifying beeswax has had me noodling on a question that Mike S's recent comment brought into focus.
 
We generally say that contamination of beeswax is a problem because the wax acts as a "sponge", soaking up almost any chemical that comes into contact with it.  There is strong evidence supporting that position and, given the lipophilic nature of many pesticides, it's not too surprising.  
 
My question is about the evidence of the subsequent release of that material.  Does that lipophilic property that causes the wax to so easily become contaminated also cause it to effectively sequester the chemical?  If the chemicals are locked away, either through encapsulation or chemical bonding, are we seeking a holy grail of "pure beeswax" beyond what is justified?  What evidence exists about the mechanisms and rates of the release of those agrochemicals back out of the wax?  Do we know that it's dangerous and if so, how dangerous?  Or are we merely assuming that it's automatically harmful to our bees?
 
By the way, I generally agree with that assumption but I'm having trouble finding evidence to back it up.  Has anyone actually studied whether and how much of the chemicals in beeswax gets released back into the hive under normal conditions?  (If this has already been discussed in the archives, my apologies.  I looked and came up empty.)  Thanks.

Mike Rossander

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