> As I sell food for human consumption, I certainly AM one to recycle brood combs on a strict 5-year schedule
The implication being, older brood combs contaminate honey? Any evidence for this?
There is evidence that the combs are safe for bees:
We found no significant differences in colony growth or survivorship between colonies established on pesticide-free vs. pesticide-laden wax foundation. However, colonies that had Varroa destructor levels above 3% in the fall were more likely to die over winter than those with levels below this threshold, indicating that high Varroa infestation in the fall played a more important role than initial pesticide exposure of wax foundation in the winter survival of newly established colonies. -- Juliana Rangel, et al. 2019
That's a separate issue, of course.
PLB
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