Bill,

I can only relay my thinking and observations.

>>...bees construct a range of cell sizes, but bee sizes are fairly consistent...

This can't be said.  In my managed hives with their consistent cell size, I see bees of different sizes through out the season.  It stems from feed availability, slowed growth due to parasites etc.  Some of my late summer workers have abdomens close in size to a queen's abdomen!  I am sure you've seen it as well.

>>with early spring bees being about the same size, large cell or small cell and only later do large cell get bigger than small...

I have not said smaller cells result in smaller bees.  I have not seen data to that effect.  I know bees feed heavily on pollen after emergence and continue to grow.  I don't know how much but I am sure it varies from bee to bee.

>>So uniform small cell has drawbacks since the bees like a range of cells, even on the same frame!

Now, that's an interesting proposition!  Small cell foundation dictates higher uniformity - in my mind, there's no absolute uniformity - and may not be best for bees.  This seems to be supported by the reported losses in down-sizing - a relatively small percentage survives the process.

Bees left to themselves, will construct a range of cell sizes on the natural comb.  To me, providing any size foundation may be desireable but it is not natural.  Not that everything needs to be natural and we should not get hang up on buzz words.  We should select words carefully.

I have not seen any evidence, whether one talk about humans, Angus cows or European honey bees, that cell size or nutrition alters their DNA.

BTW, I don't see bees as thoroughbreds, mongrels, and everything in between.  There are races of bees and their crosses with different characteristics.  Some are suitable to certain areas others are not.  Some hybrids don't seem to fare well in any areas...  But that's nature with any species.

>>What happened to all the feral bees?

I can't say what happened to all of them but the ones I am seeing at this time seem to be doing well on their own.  If one wanted to be cynical, one could speculate that most ferals disappeared because they robbed out mite-infested MANAGED hives in the fall... ;-))  Perhaps this kind of varroa pressure has brought out the few feral survivors that are now reproducing and, hopefully, repopulating in many areas?

Waldemar

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