hello, everyone. i'm not a beekeeper, i'm didjeridu player. a didjeridu (for those of you who don't know, which may be many of you) is a musical instrument of australian aboriginal origins. it's essentially a hollow tube which the player blows in. traditional aboriginal instruments are made out of eucalyptus branches that have been hollowed out by termites. in this country, people make didjes out of yucca and agave. some people also construct didjes out of various materials, including different types of would and even pvc and abs pipe. what does all this have to do with beekeeping? well, the most common material used for the mouthpiece is beeswax. the question came up recently as to risk of infection (colds, herpes, bacterial infections, etc.) from sharing instruments. i know that honey is an effective anti-bacterial agent (i've used it with success myself), but didn't know if beeswax has any similar properties. if it does, is its effectiveness limited to bacteria, or is it also effective against viruses? does the fact that the microbes would be sitting on (rather than, say, covered by) the beeswax affect its effectiveness? thanks. michael