Hi All

James Fischer wrote:
To get even more focused, why is 4.9mm foundation "good",
but Dadant's first-pass 5.0mm foundation "bad"?

Reply:
First of all we lived with mites on 5.0mm-5.1mm sizing with
our bees. This I have said many times, but secondary
diseases were not under control and honey production due to
this was lacking, us being commercial beekeepers.

Second, quality control on milling of the 5.0mm sizing was
wanting. In the beginning it was good, but in the end the
5.0mm was very much bigger then this, due to stretching
during foundation making, and this unfortunately could not
be tolerated and grumpy me, and yes I can be hard, had to
point this out to many!

James Fischer also wrote:
These are very small differences, and if one could test
4.9mm against 5.0mm to narrow down the reason why 5.0mm
fails where 4.9mm works, one would go a long way towards
proving that "size does matter".

Reply:
Well, James, I look at it as a factor of one or less, plus
living in harmony with Nature.

You know you are in harmony when problems become minute!

The secondaries for disease stopped with the 4.9mm sizing
and the factor of one with a maybe plus, seemed to go to a
factor or one or less. But I could be wrong.

Now if Baudoux quoted 5.0mm for worker and was averaging
sizes, then 4.9 and 5.1 are in his range, with more
variability to the 4.9.

If Baudoux quoted the 5.5mm for drone then and was
averaging then 5.4 (and we both agree here 5.4 will make
drones and hence problems for varroa, etc)would be also,
along with 5.6.

So with 4.9 for worker and 5.4 for drone possible I no like
the 5.4mm for worker combs in our nation's beehives. But
then I am me.

But since our bees with drone culling during workup not
back to full sized hives to 10% on anyone comb is working,
and bees can control the infestation and accompanying
secondaries now, then to be in harmony with Nature, how
close to the factor of one or less for reproduction to you
think we have come?

I would say, pretty darn close!!

Don't know if this explains to you what you want,but it
seems to sit right with me.

Regards to you,

Dee A. Lusby




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