Hi Bob & All,

> Chalkbrood can be a serious problem for the beekeeper! hives do not thrive
> with chalkbrood problems. The simple solution would be to run the test using
> another race of bee which is free of chalkbrood problems.
>

Chalkbrood happens and can happen in any race. In the test in question not all colonies had chalkbrood but one thing was constant and that was the race of bee used. I think it was said that the test will be run again with another race. The one thing different in that test was cell sizes which is the factor in question to performance. With these two factors (cell size and race) being constant results were concluded. I see nothing wrong here because this is what beekeepers do when keeping bees, they get end results after the season ends. This is the results I want to see.

> When the researchers were asked about the discussed "patch work" post
> capping time research which they were familiar with they said to ask Joe &
> Dee how they would have done the testing?
> The test involved a huge amount of time and only a small section could be
> evaluated. A whole hive could not be involved.
>

Yea, to many unknown factors and most researchers can not deal with unknown factors. Even if a researcher could control all the unknown factors there still are factors that they could not or were not aware of. This is life, get real. The only way to test cell size to the health of "A" colony is to test whole colonies. Mite drops give absolutely no answers to what the whole colony is doing with the mites. Survival is paramount and all else is secondary and will fall in place after survival. This is the results the bees need and if the bees get this result the beekeeper can do their job. Researchers who think they will get answers to honey bee survival in one season with patch work or piece meal tests are not living in the real world and living a fantasy. What if it is the unknown factors that are enabling the bees to survive and this piece meal testing is taking away the factors that enable survival? Researchers will never know the answer to this unless they can figure out a way to look at the whole colony and all the functions of it at a single time. Who in the real world really cares how they survive but if they do.

You know the one universal factor in these wild feral survivors is the range in cell sizes but of course no researcher has studied this recently mostly only laymen and who will pay attention to a layman but a layman.

It is apparent to me that science and researchers will never be able to look at clearly the cell size and race factor that is why I am using these two factors in my own beekeeping to see for myself. So far the better. Why should I wait for science to catch up with creation when all science seems to want to do is tear it apart piece by piece or by piece meal testing.

Disclaimer; I do not care if a person chooses to use small cell or not, it's a free country.

 . ..   Keith Malone, Chugiak, Alaska USA, http://www.cer.org/,
c(((([ , Apiarian, http://takeoff.to/alaskahoney/,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akbeekeepers/ ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Norlandbeekeepers/ ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ApiarianBreedersGuild/

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