Peter,
	I also have the same documentation that dee mentions, cell size
is mentioned frequently the older texts and and the first production
foundation made was 5 cells to the inch, which = 5.08mm center to center
exactly. When Ed and Dee first started cell reduction, their first
foundation I believe was 5.0mm, and when that didn't work as well as
they thought, and they learned more about the thermology of bees and bee
sizes through the latitudes they stepped it down to 4.9mm. It makes
sense since as you travel north bees of the same race do naturally
become a little larger, and langstroth, dadant and miller and root and
all those who were the fronteersman of modern beekeeping, were generally
in the north, specifically Ohio, Illinois, and Pennsylvania if I recall
correctly. Down in florida my bees which were purchased from an Ohio
supplier (I suspect the queens came from california), settled into a
cell size which was between 4.6 and 4.8mm. Here in Iowa, with the same
race of bees, but a different supplier as it turns out from Missori, the
bees have settled into around 5.0mm average. This slightly larger
attribute has to to with the latitude. That's not to say I don't see
much 4.6mm, I see plantly, but in florida is was much more prominent,
here it's less prominent. This is also, just like Dennis in top bar
hives without foundation (I don't use foundation).

Dennis's comments about cell size are valid about the variability of
cell size, however one thing I believe he missed is that the size of the
core brood nest corresponds directly to the size of the initial cluster.
If one takes a strong colony in the spring and shakes the whole thing
down into an empty top bar hive again, the core of the broodnest is MUCH
MUCH larger. This is where I believe his observations break down,
because it is NOT simply a seasonal issue, but a combination of both
cluster size and season. If you over time continue to feed empty bars
into the core of the brood nest during the brooding season, you will
continue to have that variability (which I agree with dennis is
important), but the small cells become extremely dominant in the nest.
The bees continue to build other sizes as well including on the very
large end of the spectrum, but it remains at the perimeter and between
brood and honey comb. If you do not feed in empty bars, then the bees
are forced to use the larger cells and therefore they do use them
because they need the worker numbers, however if you do feed in the
empty bars, the bees will begin to choose to NOT use the larger cells as
the smaller cells become increasingly available. As I have seen many
many times, the bees will brood through a long and narrow snake of small
cells through the nest to avoid using the larger. I have seen it far too
many times and consistently to think its chance. Variability is seems
isn't a function of seasonal brood needs, but more related to the size
of the cluster when it makes a seasonal transition from building brood
comb to building honey comb.

I do agree that dennis's observations have been keen and unbiased,
however I also think he's missed some key items here and there and
developed a personal theory before enough time for observation had
passed and he had the chance to try 2nd year shakes of whole colonies or
feeding bars into the brood nest gradually over a period of several
years like I have had the opportunity to do. I think Dennis will agree
that where you keep bees does make a difference, but also that some key
tenets of beekeeping are universal no matter where you are.

--
Scot McPherson
The McPherson Family Honey Farms
Davenport, Iowa USA

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