Allen Dick wrote:
>  I know that Christine Peng raised bees without using
> comb *at all* for a lab project.
>
How did Christine determine the proper amount of be bread etc.?
Reseachers say royal jelly is a factor even in workers. Would small
cells require less royal jelly? Would a queen be smaller if you removed
part of the royal jelly or is it only genetics which control size?
> I never did subscribe to the idea that bigger cells beyond natural size would
> make bigger bees.
I do subscribe to the idea but we can agree to disagree. I believe but
can't prove that they increase or decrease nutrician according to cell
size using a queen as a example. Maybe a reseacher will help a couple of
beekeepers out!
  Recent non-mainstream research is showing that maybe big
> cells allow room for varroa to do their dirty work in a way they could not in a
> smaller cell.
i wish i had a answer to this question. My gut feeling is if there are
not enough Drone cells for Varroa they reproduce in worker cells and
most likely even in the vary smallest of cells. As a control i believe
the winter cluster without brood and drones would be the most effective
time for the real value of smaller bees to be proven.
>
>Thanks for the info on measuring cell size! To keep the discussion simple i chose to list the bees into three catagories: small,average and bigger thinking beekeepers would give their opinions and the reseachers would provide the exact smallest and largest cell size by the end of the discussion.
In talking to Dr. Shiminuki i have to ask. OK now explain in terms a
beekeeper can understand.
Great post as usual Allen!
Bob