On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 15:31:06 -0600, Bob Harrison first discusses: "...Using
the common scale of five cells to the inch published in The Hive and The
Honey Bee  and Abc & XYZ of the period we quickly see "five cells to the
inch" would produce 25 worker cells to the  square inch and not "23 cells
to the square inch".

And then asks: Was the first change to larger cell size done with the
advent of crimp wire foundation?"

Bob, I give the following for your perusal:

The 30Th Edition of ABCandXYZ of Bee Culture(Root,1953)gives considerable
discussion to cell size, given here extremely condensed, copied and
paraphrased from the subject heading "CELLS, SIZE OF IN HONEYCOMB":

1876 A.I. Root's first roll comb foundation worker cell 5 to the inch. A.
I. discovered that this was too small after observations and measurements
and H. H. Root used his father's measurements, 1`9 and 1/3 cells to 4
linear inches (4.83 cells to the inch), in development of a new foundation
mill, no date given; however the 30TH Edition mentions that this
measurement was the standard for the last 70 years hence circa 1883. Also
mentioned was the metric values of 825 to 850 to the square decimeter and
a reference to the 1937 Bee World page 43,"Schwammerdam puts the size of
natural worker comb as 870 per square decimeter; Maraldi, 789 and 954;
Reaumur, 832; Klugel, 832; Castellon, 763, 828."

Ursmar Baudoux in 1893 conceived the idea that cells larger than 850 would
or could develop correspondingly larger bees with a longer tongue reach.
He began testing foundation by stretching from 750, 740, 730, to as low as
700 cells to the square decimeter. By 1896 he apparently proved his theory
so that a comb manufacturer (not named) built a mill with enlarged cell
bases.

Baudoux apparently also developed the first "Super Bee", larger and with a
longer tongue reach. He gave an elaborate set of figures of cell sizes
with corresponding sizes of the workersalong with wing and tongue sizes in
the 1934 Bee World; the table was also given in the 30TH Edition.

The same subject, "CELLS, SIZE OF IN HONEYCOMB", also mentioned work under
the direction of Dr. O. W. Park of Iowa State College by a Research
Assistant, Roy A. Grout, in 1930 which was published in Research Bulletin
No. 218 of Iowa Agricultural Experimental Station. A sumary of the summary
given follows: "We cannot agree with Baudoux either in the magnitude of
the results he obtained or the consistency of them"; that size of the
brood cell alone is not sufficient to produce a much larger worker bee;
and while the worker bees apparently recognized no difference in
constructing the three sides of cell, the queen bees showed a preference
for the normal-sized cells.

Additional language is given to discussion of further works of A. I. Root,
H. H. Root and M. T. Pritchard. The subject was given conclusion by the
following paragraph: " All of this goes to prove the previous contention
that a change in the size of the cell, either worker or drone, results
either in the queen avoiding these cells if she can get standard cells, or
worse yet depositing drone eggs in such cells, resulting in an unnecessary
amount of drone brood."

Chuck Norton
Norton's Nut & Honey Farm
Reidsville, NC

PS. Have you ordered drone brood as a small part of integrated pest
management and/or flooding your mating yards with selected drones?

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