Bee sizes and brood foundation...

[RoseCottage]

We have homed a swarm from a genuinely feral colony who have been wild for many years.

Linn noticed that all the bees seemed so gentle and small. It is likely they were small because they are building their own comb with a smaller brood cell size than the Thor nes BB foundation print.

So this led to a set of questions:

1. Has anyone done any studies to identify real benefits from breeding bees on a larger brood cell size?
2. What are the actual cell size differences between feral and managed colonies?
3. Is there any more 'stress' for a colony breeding larger bees?
4. If we wish to maintain natural cell size is suitable BB foundation available?

All the best,
Sam

 

[Alabamaeee]

This might interest you

http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/cellsize.html

 

[fincaazul]

We have homed a swarm from a genuinely feral colony who have been wild for many years.

Linn noticed that all the bees seemed so gentle and small. It is likely they were small because they are building their own comb with a smaller brood cell size than the Thor nes BB foundation print.

So this led to a set of questions:

1. Has anyone done any studies to identify real benefits from breeding bees on a larger brood cell size?
2. What are the actual cell size differences between feral and managed colonies?
3. Is there any more 'stress' for a colony breeding larger bees?
4. If we wish to maintain natural cell size is suitable BB foundation available?

All the best,
Sam

Before hatching the larvae spins a cocoon inside the cell. Over the years, as cells are used many times the internal volume gets smaller, so smaller bees are produced. When a swarm leaves a feral colony it 'starts again' with new comb of a normal cell size, thus larger bees. This means that in the original feral colony the comb gets to a stage where cell size is too small to raise brood and remaining bees either die out or leave.Then the wax moth move in, leaving only a mess of old cell linings

 

[newportbuzz]

i wonder if you could use the size of the bees to gauge how old the nest is??
smaller bees older nest.
it would be a very interesting concept for finding varroa resistant strains.