Came back from a week away. My neighbor kindly did yeoman's service in turning my cheeses while away, but unfortunately I can confirm the whey wells. The day we left, many of the wells had exploded overnight (by visuals, only) with blue. I washed the wheel, wiping the molds away (experimenting with just doing this, over "excising" any blue I see, to see if desired flora can outcompete the blue, with time and care). A lesser return by Tuesday, and more so on Thursday. My neighbor washed both of my beauforts with their respective brines, and I did the same on Saturday, on my return.
The blue on this first beaufort is very small, compared with what I saw on my leaving; if the day I left, I saw 2-3 craters of perhaps 3/8" diameter, by Saturday, the original areas had shrunk to maybe 1/16" or so. However, both sides of the wheel now have these small blue spots. Not many, and not large but more.
I know blues are everywhere, and as this cave is a young cave, it will be some time before I can likely expect a balanced flora development as an environmental parameter. The cave is maintained at 93%RH and 53-55F.
I'd think to spray all boards and cave surfaces with a PLA wash, if PLA was common to everything I'm doing, but it's not (my younger "beaufort" gets a L'Etivaz rind morge wash). Any immediate suggestions for keeping general blue infestations down? (As opposed to what to do, once finding blue on a given wheel)?
Edit: Just turned the wheels. I can see no blue on this first wheel. Knocking on wood, and would be surprised if indeed, the blues have been starved out, given my understanding of at least some of their parameters of play; but hopeful, nonetheless.
