David Eyre wrote:
 
> > > into the honey. (By the way, does somebody have an answer what
> > > determines the capping style with or without air space: the bees
> > > or the nectar source?)....
> >
> > In his book _Honey_in_the-Comb_ Killion states that this is a
> > genetic trait.  He would work to cull the bees who left no air
> > pocket between honey and cappings from his breeding stock.  I highly
>
> I try hard not to get on a high horse too often. But with the above
> statement I have to. What a load of twaddle!!!
>          All bees leave an air space when capping over stores. It's only the
> passage of time and millions of tiny feet which compresses
> those cappings down.
>          Try adding a frame of foundation close to the brood, they will
> draw, fill and cap, leaving air gaps. Then in a few months it will be
> dark and flattened like the rest of the frames.
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From 'Breeding the Honeybee' by Brother Adam.
 
Honey Cappings
 
In countries such as England,  where there is a demand for section
honey,  the art of capping is of great importance.  The list of
patterns and shapes is almost without end.  The Old-English bee
offered an unparalled example of the most perfect and artistic
cappings.  No other race can show the same form of cappings;  they
were pure white,  raised and dome shaped,  and the outline of each
cell was clearly delineated.
 
The form of the cappings,  their design and colour are racially
determined.  This is so with the way the brood is capped.  The
genuine Carniolan produces snow-white cappings but they are
completely flat and lack any shape;  the Italian produces mainly
white cappings but they are rather crude in their form;  the
Anatolian's are also white but the lower third is characteristically
greyish,  and the outline of each cell is only vague;  the majority
of the Eastern races cap the honey with dark grey cappings.  Wherever
white cappings occur,  there is always a space between the honey and
the wax capping.  It is possible by a close study of the basic
features of honey cappings to determine to which race a bee belongs,
in my opinion,  one of the most attractive sides of our breeding
work...
 
and
 
'Beekeeping in Britain' by R.O.B Manley
 
...There are strains that make a bad job of sealing their honey:  I
mean that it does not look nice because they fill the cells right up
to the wax cap,  and the comb honey from such strains is nothing like
so attractive to the consumer as that from some of the other
varieties.
 
Joe Hemmens