Just having spotted Ron Hoskins (of Swindon Bee fame) in an article in this month's BBKA news firmly link chemical residues in wax with Drone sterility/queen supersedure I thought it a pertinent question.

Last year I stopped using foundation completely in my supers and I'm still mulling over the practically on 14x12 frames of phasing out foundation in the brood boxes. Chemical residues do play a large part in considering this although just letting the bees draw the combs the want is also a factor.

I don't personally use pyrethoid or similar chemical/pesticide treatments, thymol aside if people want to get picky, as part of my varroa IPM and so I don't really want to introduce it back into my hives through foundation.

Am I worrying over nothing? once drawn to comb is the quantity of wax in foundation likely to mean that concentrations are now going to be so low as to make no difference and/or am I just buying into the pesticide "scare" through the back door? I don't seem to be able to find anything conclusive linking anything in wax with wider bee health problems.