> No, it was based on the fact that bees were at the time being
> kept on unnaturally larger cells than was in the past. 

> Natural or normal cell size for worker brood, before they were
> artificially enlarged by unwitting beekeepers, was in the range of  
> 4.6 mm to 5.1 mm. 4.8 mm to 4.9 mm being mid range is the reason 
> for using 4.9 mm foundation or some just simply use foundation-less 
> frames or plain wax starter strips.

If the above were a fact, then countries where foundation was either 
unavailable or unaffordable, such as all the Caribbean island nations, 
would have maintained "natural" cell sizes all along, and would not 
have as many problems  with varroa.

But these bees and their comb cell sizes are no smaller than mainland US
bees.  
Varroa is a serious problem for these beekeepers.

How could the bees on these islands have been universally "upsized" by 
efforts in the US and Europe given a lack of foundation use and a lack 
of bee exports to these nations?

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