Hi all

No disrespect to Taber, Owens, Michener or anybody else that has looked at
the cellsize of naturally built comb, BUT, and I think it is a very big
BUT... none of the studies took any notice of the cellsize that the
particular bees were already aclimatised to. And many other features of comb
building were either ignored or just not noticed.

Bees will adapt both upwards and downwards in size. Just because bees can be
shaken into a foundation free cavity and they will build comb in that cavity
does not automatically mean that the size that was built is "natural".

There has been a great deal of sniping on this subject, to the point where
some of us will no longer stick our heads above the parapet.

Allen Dick said
> The arguments are more subtle than simple Lamarckism.

They certainly are! And it takes much enthusiasm and energy to overcome the
barrage of information from those "that know" or cite previous referances.

The further I dig into this topic, the less that I can say with certainty
that I understand. All I can really say is that nobody yet "knows" because
nobody has ever done any testing that is not based on false premises and
assumptions.

Allen also said...
> * We need to re-examine the idea of using comb foundation
> and what  sizes are optimal.

As another "devil's advocate" I say that we have been too simplistic in our
useage of foundation, simply because "we knew" what we thought we saw.

I think it is time that some of the academics got involved in helping to
unravel the mess. So far all that is happening is that a bunch of
enthusiastic amateurs (myself included) are spending time, effort and money
in trying to understand a subject that the establishment will not even admit
they have an incomplete grasp of.

I stick my head above the parapet, in the hope that greater skills than mine
can be recruited and bought to bear, to enable a greater understanding of a
subject that is far more complex than most assume.


Best Regards & 73s... Dave Cushman, G8MZY
Beekeeping & Bee Breeding Website...
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman