Hi Guys, I arranged about half a dozen small cell size colonies according to the plan. The clusters stayed centered better over the winter than before and I attributed it to this arrangement. The following year I established some colonies on clean, large cell comb that were not arranged this way. The clusters were large in both types of hives and remained centered. I now attribute the centering on the healthier, larger clusters and not the comb orientation. Since then, I've run a few top bar hives to investigate the structure and cell size of natural comb. I kept track of the order combs were built and their weekly progress. Comb orientation was one component I looked for but didn't find any evidence for. Regards Dennis :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::