NaturalCellSize.ppt

Conclusion Based on my measurements of natural worker brood comb: There is nothing UNnatural about 4.9mm worker cells. 5.4mm worker cells are not the norm in a brood nest. Small cell has been adequate for me to have hives that are stable against Varroa mites with no treatments. Foundationless Frame Foundationless Frame What I’ve done to get natural comb Top Bar Hives Foundationless Frames Blank Starter Strips Blank Starter Strip What I’ve done to get natural comb Top Bar Hives Foundationless Frames Blank Starter Strips Free Form Comb Free form comb What I’ve done to get natural comb Top Bar Hives Foundationless Frames Blank Starter Strips Free Form Comb Empty Frame Between Drawn Combs How much difference between natural and “normal”? When you figure this in one dimension, diameter, it doesn’t sound like much. But how much is it in 3 dimensions? Standard 5.43 = 157.464 Small cell 4.93 = 117.649 Natural 4.63 = 97.336 Relative internal size in 3 dimensions Dimensions of cellsAccording to Baudoux Cell Width Cell Volume 5.555 mm 301 mm3 5.375 277 5.210 256 5.060 237 4.925 222 4.805 206 4.700 192 From ABC XYZ of Bee Culture 1945 edition pg 126 5.4mm4.9mm Things that affect cell size Worker intention for the comb at the time it was drawn: Drone brood Worker brood Honey storage The size of the bees drawing the comb The spacing of the top bars What is Regression? Large bees, from large cells, cannot build natural sized cells. They build something in between. Most will build 5.1mm worker brood cells. The next brood cycle will build cells in the 4.9mm range. The only complication with converting back to Natural or Small cell is this need for regression. Regressing To regress, cull out empty brood combs and let bees build what they want (or give them 4.9mm foundation)? After they have raised brood on that, repeat the process. Observations on natural cell size First there is no one size of cells nor one size of worker brood cells in a hive. Huber’s observation