Dave,

>>I think average bee size in USA is smaller than UK... a very low percentage of AMM genes and all other races have smaller bodies.

I did not realize AMM were larger than Italians, Carniolans, or Caucasians.  If I recall right, Caucasians are the smallest with the longest tongues allowing them to take interest in red clover...

Since different races show different preferences/tendencies in many areas, perhaps they adapt different cell sizes...  Instead of focusing on the 'right' or 'natural' cell width, the cell diameter should be described as a fraction of the average bee body envolope for each race?  Moreover, as Dennis Murrell has shown, there is no such thing as a single cell size in any naturally drawn out nest.

>>Secondly the majority of foundation supplied in UK over the last fifty years has been 5.45 mm or larger.

I see.  Do you have any feral AMM populations of in remote natural reserves etc. perhaps?  It would be most interesting to measure their cell sizing.

Waldemar

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