Bob Harrison:
Small cell might have some value to help with varroa
control but I am sure from private testing that a hive
downsized on small cell when cranked up in December in
California and fed thin syrup after almonds keeping
 strength up and then moved into the Dakotas for a honey
crop will either need treating in August /September and  is
going to crash from varroa/virus if untreated.
Under the above circumstance all untreated were dead by
October

Reply:
Sorry I don't buy this, if really all on SC with 4.9mm top
tolerance and not something 4.95mm or bigger.......or 5.0mm
and still calling it SC which some are, for there is a
difference and reason why we/I went from 5.0mm to 4.9mm and
no bigger for our broodnest area. For when we did that the
secondary infections were eating us alive with our bees.
Going to 4.9mm top tolerance changed that and dropped
secondary diseases for foul to 1-2% and haven't see chalk
or other since! So all I can say is some talk small cell,
but what is small cell now if some think they are on it but
only in an intermetiate size, close, but not close enough,
but close enough to blurr the actual goings on!!! fwiw.

Now, let's be clear. With 4.9mm top tolerance, that means a
lot of the stuff in my hives in the way of cell size are
smaller and into the medium 4.8mm range of which 4.83mm was
size by the way this country started with, besides the
lower 4.7mm talked about by other early beekeepers, and
that sure makes a lot a difference concerning diseases
vectored in by ticks(mites) chewing upon the bodies of
bees, which as time goes on will change pathogen to new
pathogen or malady vectored in, for something new
constantly for beekeepers to worry about... rather then
getting off the treadmill in it's entirety.


Dee A. Lusby 



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