Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

The outside frames which for the most
>part hold honey most of the year can be large cell according to those
>beekeepers.

If you can exclude the broodnest from moving into these larger cells, then 
this may work.  BUT, I doubt most beekeepers are vigilant enough to see 
that this is prevented. 

>Now Joe that's not what you said last winter when I first told you of the
>project.

I like the project.  But the broodnest MUST be restricted to small cell.  
It can be difficult to prevent the broodnest from moving into large cell 
by mixing cell sizes, so I must renege my support of the experiment if it 
is carried out in such a manner with mixed cell sizes.

>Others ( some reading right now) on BEE-L said if my results were not
>positive than the small cell beekeepers would reject the entire project.

Your statement troubles me.
When I mentor new bees, I find that these new bees are faced with a 
barrage of advice on what they “should be doing with their bees“.  Advice 
ranging from “treat your bees for varroa or they are going to die” 
TO “requeen every year”.  Then, I find that I need to visit the new bee 
and open up the hives and let them see for themselves. In most cases the 
evidence shows that the queen performance is fine and they do NOT need 
treatments OR other such advice given.  So the first thing I teach a new 
bee is always “base your decisions on what your assessments of your 
colonies conditions reveal, and NOT by what others say you should do”. 

Why a small cell beekeeper having all the evidence at their disposal, 
would depend on ‘some guy on the internet’ to tell them what is working 
for them in their own hives, without basing the decision on the their own 
colony assessments, is simply NOT conducive to good beekeeping practices.

>,,, I am not testing
>Dee's method of downsizing but Dennis Murrels.

You say above that you are testing ‘downsizing’.
This is not a ‘small cell test’ then?

Best Wishes,

Joe Waggle
Derry, PA
“Bees Gone Wild Apiaries”
FeralBeeProject.com
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHoneybeeArticles

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