>The only way I see toget some certainty on a particular bunch of
>bees is to go up and down in size and then let them build ther own
>for several generations to see what they settle on.

With all due respect, I suggest you reread my submission. Marla
Spivak went to Costa Rica and spent years studying comb size before,
during and after Africanization. As I said, in Costa Rica the
majority of hives DO NOT contain foundation, and never have. She
refers to one apiary that she studied in the mountains. There were 9
hives, which the owners filled with swarms. These hives were plain
boxes filled with natural comb. The AVERAGE cell size in each and
every hive was 5.3 mm. The first arriving hybrid African swarms built
comb around 5.0 mm and subsequent swarms (less hybridized) ranged
from 4.7 to 5.0. This phenomenon was observed throughout South and
Central American and is fully documented in the book she edited.

>what difference does it make if we end up finding that bees on the
>4.9 or whatever size can deal with the mite on their own compared to
>bees on a different size? we know 5.4 doesn't work. so what are you
>suggesting?

If a technique works, then I would adopt it regardless of the
validity of the underlying theory. However, the only people reporting
success with curbing mites by this method are working in an area that
is known to be Africanized and besides, it is an arid sub-tropical
zone. There is good evidence that the buildup of mites is dependent
on climate and weather, being more severe in temperate and humid
areas. What I am suggesting that the conventional understanding that
European bee cells have always averaged 5.3 mm (range 5.0 to 5.7) has
never been disproved and has been independently verified by dozens of
researchers.

Hey, I don't have anything against speculation. I loved The Matrix,
Dark City, and The Fifth Element. In fact, I am dying to see the new
version of the Time Machine. But if you are going to speculate about
bees, you better have some facts to back you up. I have backed up
everything I have said. I could do even better but I don't want to
appear to be some sort of an encyclopedia.


--
Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>