There's something about small-cell claims that really provokes me.  Even
though I don't expect to see any special gains -- certainly not gains to
outweigh the costs -- I've started a small-cell experiment, just because I
feel like this nameless voice on the internet won't allow me any peace.  My
hope is that this experiment will provide a defense against the bands of
small cell marauders that attack my mental tranquility.  Having now
revealed my bias, I hope to throw my two bits to the small cell discussion.

First, small cell beekeepers are clearly well out of the mainstream (as am
I), and so there are a lot of management differences that might be the
cause of whatever successes small cell beekeepers have had.  In fact, it
seems to me that the vast majority of beekeepers who take their bees very
seriously, don't blindly accept the standard practices, and are willing to
do costly and labor-intensive things for their bees are quite successful
beekeepers (in terms of varroa), regardless of whether they use small
cell.  Joe speculated that small cell failures might be beekeeper failures,
but I would counter that "small cell successes" might be "beekeeper
successes" having little or nothing to do with cell size.

In response to Joe's claims as to what he gained by using small cell, I
think those are very nice things, but the connection to cell size is
speculative.  And I can't remember which small cell advocate said the
following, but someone said that small cell beekeepers are all going strong
except for those who failed or gave up.  If you add to that list folks like
Allen who are presumably in the process of failing (with his small cell
experiment), then we've said nothing at all, because everyone with every
beekeeping method is either succeeding, threatening to fail, has failed, or
has given up.  My point is that the reason small cell stories are falling
on deaf ears is that they're not conveying much information that's useful
to the rest of us.  We can congratulate you all on your successes, but what
will do the rest of good in our circumstances that isn't highly speculative?

And then small cell advocates say or imply that to really experience the
benefits of small cell one must not feed bees anything but honey, must not
so much as use powdered sugar on his bees, must manufacture his own
foundation, must not use any electricity, must not wear protective clothing
made of synthetic fibers, must not work his bees before a full moon...and
then we too can ascend to the higher plane of small cell existence.  And
then they lament that the beekeeping mainstream doesn't adopt their ways.
Of course, I'm exaggerating now, but this is the spirit, if not the letter,
of what I hear from small cell advocates.

And finally small cell advocates try to hijack the words organic and
natural, as if the definition of natural were 4.9 mm, or puffing smoke in a
hive were an abomination of organics.

Eric

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