Let me add one more question to clear up my confusion on all this.

Observation first - Dennis' experience has shown bees construct a range
of cell sizes, but bee sizes are fairly consistent, with early spring
bees being about the same size, large cell or small cell and only later
do large cell get bigger than small, but not that much. Small cell get
bigger in the summer and fall. So uniform small cell has drawbacks since
the bees like a range of cells, even on the same frame! Bees, allowed do
do their own thing on THB's make this range of cells. They will
"regress" on their own. So it is natural and you get good mite tolerance.

Question- So what happened to all the feral bees?

Did they not get the word on how to make small cell? But Joe's feral do
have small cell. But Joe has had to select from the survivors. But we
should be able to leave them alone, since they are on natural small
cell. But there are three aspects to small cell beekeeping.... none of
which mention small cells.

Good thing Halloween is coming soon. I'll be able to sit on the front
porch an amaze the kids with my spinning head.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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