> But in this sample the cavity is only 6 inches in diameter - I believe the
cavities in the calculations have been much larger than that...

For a cavity to be 6 inches in diameter, it would need to be 2.2 meters tall
to reach the "ideal" cavity size of 40 liters (0.4 m^3)
That's over 7 feet!

While such a cavity is certainly possible, it is not the way most trees rot
out.  The long thin cavity type is most often the result of a tree trunk
completely snapping off mid-trunk (rare event) and then rotting out from the
top down, to get a narrow long cavity.

One can't understand bee tree cavities without talking to a forestry major,
and learning a bit about how trees of different species tend to rot.

And thus the problem is presented for taking averages, like "40 liters" and
"1.5 meters high" and using them in a model, as there is no consistent bee
cavity, nor bee tree.

YES!  When given a choice, bees will prefer the cavity volume that Seeley
found most popular over all others, but most swarms have to compromise,
moreso these days, as there are few stands of trees that are not "managed"
with regular "harvesting".

So, for a cavity that is 6 inches in diameter, with 6 inches of wood all
around, what does one have?  A cylindrical cavity with a diameter of 6
inches?  With combs spacing of 1.3 inches on center, a 6-inch circle can
have 4 combs across, so this is not an "impossible" cavity, but if the
beekeeper who posted the photo had a measurement or estimate of the LENGTH
of the cavity, we'd be able to know far more about it, but it sounds to me
like a tiny little hive that occupied only a cylinder of about 6 inches
diameter, and maybe 1.5 feet of height.  Not 7 feet by 6 inches.

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