Hi,

A stronger argument could be made that it is the other way 'round.
>
> Which came first - the comb or the egg? :)

Yes I have to admit it is a ketch 22 one effects the other. I guess my point
only was that AHB has "usually" a 4.8 to 4.9mm brood cell on average.


In the specific case of the South American AHB used in
> the study at issue, it seems to be an error to attribute
> the smaller size of AHB to the comb.  As I understand it,
> a bee left to its own devices uses its own body as a
> "caliper" of sorts to build a cells that are appropriate
> to its body size.

I don't know if I'd call it an error. As once the cells are drawn it
establishes the future generations sizings for that colony.


> It follows that bees given no foundation or only unembossed
> starter strips will build whatever size cells they "naturally"
> want to build.

Yes. And in the case of AHB they do.  But the problem maywell be that EHB
has little option in the matter for a long time since foundation has
universally been used.

The study seems to answer few questions for the case of EHB,
> and the simultaneous presentation of multiple comb sizes to
> the same colony simply verified what was already well-known,
> that mites "prefer" the larger (in most cases, drone-sized) cells.

Yes, mites prefer drones sized cells.  But I was avoiding discussing drone
cell as we already know this.  And was focusing on worker cells.  If only
drone cells were in fested in colonies they would survive. But this isn't
the case with EHB.  Why is it that worker cells areworked over by mites?
Yet if these very worker cells were drastically reduced in infestation and
infestation occured in broodnest periphery in larger transitioning cells (to
a honey storage type) and drone cells which the beekeeper maintainted in
natural levels.  The infestation would not overwhelm the colony  and it
would not crash.

And use of AHB.  Professor DeJong's presentation to the VA State
> Beekeepers meeting this year was very informative, in that he
> went into detail about how beekeepers have learned the "management"
> appropriate to AHB, a very different set of practices from "normal".

Could you discuss these practices. I'd be interested in hearing?

> Please small-cell people, don't flame me.  I am taking great care
> to avoid even the appearance of critiquing "small cell" here.
> I am only questioning specific statements presented as fact.

I though I was wearing the fire suit! I don't mean to represent everything I
say as a fact.  But much of what I say is my observations.

Clay

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