>Regardless of what the pundits may say, old beekeepers know that drawn
comb is a valuable asset.

I certainly consider drawn comb to be my most valuable asset, and have no
argument with you on that point.

But Allen, did you read your cited article to the end?  It says,
"Beekeepers who reported reusing old brood comb in their colonies reported
losing on average 12.6 more colonies per 100 (49.5% more) than beekeepers
who did not report reusing brood comb that had been taken out of production
or purchased."

On the other hand, the survey found that, "Beekeepers who kept bees in
colonies where the average age of the brood comb in their operation was
less than 1 year old, lost on average 7.5 more colonies per hundred when
compared to beekeepers who managed bees in colonies where the average age
of the brood comb in their operation was between 1 and 2 years old."

Could the above result be an artifact of the fact that first year
beekeepers tend to have higher losses?


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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