Allen,
 
One question:
 
Is there ever a concern or caution to putting brood combs exposed to
Apistan into a honey collecting position?
 
Our previous discussions on this list have lead me to understand that
Apistan ingredients are locked into the wax and will not leach out into the
honey. However,  I have never seen a discussion or study to date that tests
for Apistan residuals in honey. Is there such a study?
 
I keep thinking about the Apple Alar case and I hate to think that honey
will become subjected to random testings by governemnt agencies to assure
consumption.
 
Paul Cronshaw DC
Cyberchiro  and Hobby Beekeeper
Santa Barbara, CA
 
 
Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>  wrote:
 
> ... I make no distinction between brood comb, and honey comb.
 
To carry this further, we don't worry about using brood combs for honey.
In fact that is exactly what we do with brood combs that are misshapen,
warped or getting too full of drone cells.  We just put them above the
excluder and they work for many more years.  Our honey invariably grades
'water white'.  For extraction, the perfection of combs is entirely
unimportant to us as long as they are not so bent that honey cannot escape
in a radial extractor.
 
We *do* fuss about our brood frames, though, and have found that if we use
too many white 'honey'  frames in a new brood chamber that it has a very
negative effect on buildup and wintering until the bees have occupied them
for a year or two.  Freshly drawn foundation does not seem to have the
same effect.
 
The bees apparently have preferences exactly oppose those of beekeepers:
I have heard that they much perfer to store honey in dark comb and raise
brood in new white comb.  Seems to fit with my experience.
 
Allen