> Question: Does anyone do this for contaminated equipment?

First, I should state that I consider all equipment to be contaminated 
unless proven not to be, and know that that proof is impossible.

Going on, we did dip equipment and found it a useful way to protect 
floors and lids.  We never did dip frames and boxes.

Dipping boxes is practical, although handling them later results in 
filthy bee suits and questionable honey house hygiene.  (Bee box paint 
or other coatings should be considered as something that is going to be 
in the extracting environment and therefore clean and food safe).

Dipping frames is less practical, as the wax can fill grooves and also 
coat the frames unless the temperature is very high.  Wax coated frames 
can cause other problems as well.

In my opinion, with a competent beekeeper and a good stock of 
non-susceptible bees, spores in hives and on equipment like floors, lids 
and boxes are of little concern.  Even spores in frames and combs seem 
to become less capable of infecting after the bees have raised a few 
rounds of brood without breakdown.

Years ago, when I was young and naive, I read an article called "Living 
with AFB" or something close.  The article assumed that AFB is 
everywhere and that a beekeeper should just accept the fact and learn to 
manage the problem, not try to eradicate it at all costs.

That shocked me as I had previously been taught to consider AFB to be 
sinful and disgraceful, and something to fight at all costs, even at the 
cost of the victim hive or one's crop and livelihood.  That bogeyman 
approach is still around and preached widely to naive beginners.

Over time, I came to understand the mindset advocated and also 
understand that fighting with an invisible and sometimes imaginary foe 
can be self-destructive and wasteful, especially when we have tools that 
can manage the problem with little effort or cost, but require a bit 
more education and subtlety than burning everything or destroying equipment.

So, what I am saying is that wax dipping to destroy all traces of AFB is 
IMO feasible, it may not be necessary or practical.

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