> I have some frames that are in good shape, black wax, kind of old (4
> years?), never used coumaphos with them, that have adult bees in a
> scattering of cells that never made it out of the cell. Some have a
> slightly chewed cap others nothing.

I'd use them in a heartbeat.  Four years is like, like, uh, I mean, uh,
barely broken in.  I have some that are 30 years old and still fine --
IMO. Some may actually be 50 years old and I'd still use them if they
look good.

Such combs are like gold to a beekeeper, assuming they are flat and
well-drawn.  I find it frustrating that some 'experts' scare people away
from using such a resource.

As for viruses and disease, viruses usually don't last long outside
their host environment and as for bacteria, that magic propolis we hear
so much about takes care of a lot of them.  Wax coats spores over time.
  As for nosema, etc., although a lot of people fumigate and swear by it,
I think Holy Water would do just as much good in most cases.

I think I heard Dennis say in the video that the fumigated combs did no
better than non-fumigated.  Is that correct?  I am not about to watch
the video again.

AFAIK, radiation works as long as it penetrates.  That is proven.  Users
can see obvious differences without having to strain their imaginations.
  Maybe ethylene oxide or ozone do some good.  I suspect so, but as long
as used combs that are a little less than perfectly clean are given to
strong colonies at times of year when they are thriving and active, it
appears that the bees can clean them without apparent problems.

In some cases, some strains of bee can even clean up and use heavily
scaled AFB combs, but I am not recommending this and definitely don't
try this at home, kids.

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