Sorry to hear about your loss Peter. Was is a real Wild
 colony or absconded recent made feral from a domestic hive?
 What size started strips did you use by the way as this
 would have bearing somewhat on their comb drawing?

It was no loss. We wanted to see what happens to a hive when left alone. We
knew it would die, just not how long it would take. Untreated hives,
in this region, very soon die. One year, maybe two.

Around here, there is no difference between a "Wild colony" and a feral one.

The strips were very narrow, but if you are saying that the size of the cell
at the top row influences every cell built thereafter, that is nonsense. By
that logic bees would never raise drones, since they would have to change
size.

pb