Bill Truesdell,
> A little background- for the first time in 17 years of
> keeping bees I lost all my colonies. (It was also the 
> first year I did not treat for Varroa since my small cell
> would fix that.)
>

Reply:
Questions then: How long on the small cell, or actually when and how started, and who was manufacturer of the small cell used, as it does make a difference. How many hives involved? Also, was artificial feed used? Also drones culled at all for first year? Also, all year no treatments at all, just not no treatments in the fall, buat you went all year without treatments, including acids?

I am asking this because in our/my second regression down to 4.9mm small cell we made ourselves and started off the bat in the spring, for all first year to work with, we also went from close to 1,000 hives to 104 not making it thru (told ahead of time we would lose 90% bees that couldn't make the transition by USDA as they would not be able to probably regress having lost too many needed genetics/traits necessary.) We also culled drones to no more then 10% in building back on any one frame drawnout. But from there we built back redoing all foundations/combs used.

Dee A. Lusby


      

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