> This is not a question to be answered by Master's Degree thesis papers, this is simple, prudent, proactive "self-defense" in the marketplace.

The question was not "is this a good idea?" nor "do folks do this?" but rather, is there any proof that old comb has a negative effect on colony growth. I have not yet seen that question answered definitively. 

Stephanie K. Murray's thesis is well researched. The bibliography alone is a valuable resource. She says

> The results of this thesis suggest that constituents of comb used for brood rearing have no immediate effect on larval honey bee survival, but they do have antibacterial effects on M. plutonius. Additionally, constituents of comb used for food storage also exhibit antibacterial effects. To better inform beekeepers of the economic and biological costs and benefits of brood comb replacement, more research should be done on the sublethal effects of uncontaminated, old brood comb, as well as identifying the active compounds present in brood comb and honey comb.

I find her work more compelling than any number of beekeepers' Just So Stories*

* Kipling, R. (1910). Just So Stories. The works of Rudyard Kipling.

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