I'm by no means an expert, but I have heard quite a few beekeepers I
respect say that bees overwinter better on old (read dark used comb) comb,
all other things being equal.  At 50% replacement you would have a lot of
lighter wax in the hive.  My thought is that lighter comb is
thermodynamically different than darker (makes sense to me anyway).  Of
course not everyone has the same Winter obviously, nor is everyone exposed
to the same buildup of chemicals etc.  I would also be curious how "hard"
drawing comb is on bees.  Does it shorten their lifespan like foraging does?

Jeremy
West Michigan

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