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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 18 Feb 2002 13:39:49 -0500
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At 10:46 -0800 2/18/02, Dave Cushman wrote:
>The cell size within a comb varies considerably more than a cursory
>glance will indicate.  An average tells you just that... an average.
>Who has decided that this average measurement has any significance?
>How were the conclusions drawn?


Quoting Marla Spivak:
>Measurements of the diameter of worker cells may be the most
>accurate and easiest way to distinguish between Africanized and
>European colonies in the field. The size of a bee is highly
>correlated with the size cell from which it emerges. Because
>Africanized bees are slightly smaller and construct slightly smaller
>cells than European bees, changes in cell size over time help
>monitor the arrival of Africanized bees.

She cites work by Roy Grout (1937), Cosenza and Batista (1973),
Charles Michener (1975), Tom Rinderer (1986). Her 1988 1PhD
dissertation was titled "Discrimination of Africanized honey bees
using behavior, cell size, morphometrics, and a newly discovered
isozyme polymorphism," so it seems to be her conclusion that the
average cell size has *some significance*.

These researchers worked independently over decades and found the
same thing. What good reason do we have to doubt the validity of
these findings? In order to overthrow such a substantial body of
work, somebody is going to have to produce a significant amount of
data showing other conclusions. So far, I have not seen such data or
even any references.

--
Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>

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