And it

1
Natural Cell Size

• And its implications to beekeeping and Varroa
  mites

2
Presentations online

• Before you take copious notes, all these
  presentations are online here
• http//www.bushfarms.com/beespresentations.htm

3
Bee Camp

• http//www.bushfarms.com/beescamp.htm

4
Everything works if you let it

• James "Big Boy" Medlin

5
Varroa Life Cycle

• Foundress enters the brood cell just before
  capping.
• Lays one egg about every 30 hours.
• First is male the rest are female.
• Females have to reach maturity and mate to be
  viable and this takes 10.5 days from when the egg
  is laid.
• Typical number of offspring in a worker cell with
  21 day cycle (capped on day 9 and emerge 12 days
  later) is between one and two (1.5 - 0.5) in a
  drone cell between three and four (3.5 - 0.5).

6
Varroa Life Cycle

• During its time in the capped cell all of those
  Varroa, foundress and offspring, feed on the
  pupae weakening it and spreading viruses.
• After emergence of the bee, the viable mites (the
  foundress mite and the one or two that made it to
  maturity and mated) go into their phoretic stage
  clinging to the bees and sucking their hemolymph
  like a tick, again spreading viruses and
  weakening the bees.

7
Using Natural Cell Size Against Varroa?

• Either cell size helps with Varroa or it does not
• If it does, you have helped the Varroa problem
• If it does not,
• you have
• not hurt the
• Varroa problem

8
Cell Size and Bee Size

• Standard foundation has been upsized
• That upsizing has caused a bee that is 150 of
  its natural size
• The fact that upsizing foundation makes a bigger
  bee and that we now have upsized is well
  documented by Baudoux, Pinchot, Gontarski, and
  most recently, McMullan and Brown.

9
Small Cell Natural Cell?

• Small cell has been purported by some (including
  me), to help control Varroa.
• Small Cell is 4.9mm cell size.
• Standard foundation is 5.4mm cell size.
• What is natural cell size?

10
A couple of References

• Recent The influence of small-cell brood combs
  on the morphometry of honeybees (Apis
  mellifera)--John B. McMullan and Mark J.F. Brown
• Historic references are listed here see
  www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm near the
  bottom of the page (including a link to the above
  paper)?

11
What is natural cell size?

• Reasonable Assumptions
• Can we assume that the bees know the answer to
  this question?
• Can we assume if we let them they will answer the
  question?
• Can we assume that doing what is natural for them
  is the most likely correct size for cells?

12
Baudoux 1893

• Made bees larger by using larger cell foundation
  to make larger cells. Pinchot, Gontarski and
  others got the size up as large as 5.74mm. But
  AI Roots first foundation was 5 cells to an inch
  which is 5.08mm. Later he started making it 4.83
  cells per inch. This is equivalent to 5.26mm.
• (ABC XYZ of beekeeping 1945 edition page
  125-126.)?

13
Tipping point for me for Varroa

• Tried
• VSH (SMR)
• Russian
• Minnesota Hygenics
• Buckfasts
• Carniolans
• All Americans
• Italians

14
No Survivors to Breed From

• 100 losses to Varroa
• Tens of thousands of dead Varroa on the bottom
  board
• Varroa feces in the brood cells

15
Natural Comb and Small Cell

• No Varroa losses on Natural Comb and Small Cell
  comb.
• Still had severe winter losses to other causes
  until changing to feral survivors.
• Genetics appears to be important to survival, but
  not the tipping point for survival with Varroa.

16
Sevareid's Law

• The leading cause of problems is solutions.

17
Typical Foundation Today
18
Dadant Wax 5.4mm
19
Mann Lake Rite Cell 5.4mm
20
Pierco Deep Frame 5.25mm
21
Pierco Medium Sheet 5.2mm
22
Dadant 4.9mm Small Cell
23
Mann Lake PF100 and PF120 4.95mm
24
Unregressed Top Bar Hive Comb 4.7mm
25
How do smaller cells help?

• Male survivorship
• Less male mites survive
• Reproduction of Varroa destructor in South
  African honey bees does cell space influence
  Varroa male survivorship? Stephen J. MARTIN, Per
  KRYGER
• http//www.apidologie.org/index.php?optioncom_art
  icleaccessstandardItemid129url/articles/apid
  o/pdf/2002/01/Martin.pdf

26
How do smaller cells help?

• Shortened Pupation
• A model of the mite parasite, Varroa destructor,
  on honeybees (Apis mellifera) to investigate
  parameters important to mite population growth. D
  Wilkinson, , G.C Smith
• http//www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S
  0304380001004409

27
Shortened Pupation

• Less Varroa Because
• Capping times shorter by 24 hours
• Less Varroa in the cell when its capped
• Postcapping times shorter by 24 hours
• Less Varroa reach maturity and mate by emergence
• More chewing out of Varroa

28
Pre and Post capping times and Varroa

• 8 hours shorter capping time halves the number of
  Varroa infesting a brood cell.
• https//www.researchgate.net/publication/41700870_
  Effect_of_the_size_of_worker_brood_cells_of_Africa
  nized_honey_bees_on_infestation_and_reproduction_o
  f_the_ectoparasitic_mite_Varroa_jacobsoni_Oud
• 8 hours shorter post capping time halves the
  number of offspring of a Varroa in the brood cell.

29
Accepted days for capping and Post Capping(based
on observing bees on 5.4mm comb)?

• Capped 9 days after egg laid
• Emerges 21 days after egg laid

30
Dzierzons Observations on Natural Comb

• "When the young worker-bee has left the cell
  which, reckoning from the egg, will be the case
  at the end of nineteen days, under favourable
  circumstances..." Jan Dzierzon, Rational
  Bee-Keeping, 1882 English edition, Pg 20

31
Hubers Observations on Natural Comb

• Capped 8 days after egg layed
• Emerged 20 days after egg layed
• 3(egg)5(vermicular)1.5(capping)3(capped
  larva)7.5(nymph)20
• If the day the egg is layed is the first day then
  this would be half way through the twentieth day.

32
Hubers Observations on Natural Comb

• The worm of workers passes three days in the
  egg, five in the vermicular state, and then the
  bees close up its cell with a wax covering. The
  worm now begins spinning its cocoon, in which
  operation thirty-six hours are consumed. In
  three days, it changes to a nymph, and passes
  six days in this form. It is only on the
  twentieth day of its existence, counting from the
  moment the egg is laid, that it attains the fly
  state.
• FRANCIS HUBER 4 September 1791.

33
Hubers Observations on Natural Comb

• Note this is a quote from the 1809 English
  translation and it is almost identical to the
  1821 and 1841 English translations, all of which
  say "six days." However, I have since found the
  original French which says, in both the 1792
  edition and the 1814 edition "sept jours demi"
  which should be translated 7 1/2 days. This makes
  it come to 20 days. Otherwise it would be 18 ½
  days.

34
My observations on 4.95mm cell size

• Capped 8 days after layed
• Emerged 19 days after layed

35
Dimensions of cellsAccording to Baudoux

• Cell Width Cell Volume
• 5.555 mm 301 mm3
• 5.375 277
• 5.210 256
• 5.060 237
• 4.925 222
• 4.805 206
• 4.700 192
• From ABC XYZ of Bee Culture 1945 edition pg 126

36
5.4mm4.9mm
37
Things that affect cell size

• Worker intention for the comb at the time it was
  drawn
• Drone brood
• Worker brood
• Honey storage
• The size of the bees drawing the comb
• The spacing of the top bars

38
What is Regression?

• Large bees, from large cells, cannot build
  natural sized cells. They build something in
  between. Most will build 5.1mm worker brood
  cells.
• The next brood cycle will build cells in the
  4.9mm range.
• The only complication with converting back to
  Natural or Small cell is this need for regression.

39
Regressing

• If you dont mind plastic, the fasted method with
  currently available products is to put the bees
  on Mann Lake PF100s (deep) or PF120s (medium)
  which are 4.94mm cell size and in my experience,
  drawn by the bees perfectly the first time.

40
Regressing

• To regress with natural comb, cull out empty
  brood combs and let bees build what they want
  (or give them 4.9mm foundation)?
• After they have raised brood on that, repeat the
  process until the core of the brood nest is 4.9mm
  or below.

41
Observations on natural cell size

• First there is no one size of cells nor one size
  of worker brood cells in a hive. Hubers
  observations on bigger bees from bigger cells was
  directly because of this. The bees draw a
  variety of cell sizes which create a variety of
  bee sizes. Perhaps these different castes serve
  the purposes of the hive with more diversity of
  abilities.

42
Observations on cell size

• The first generation of bees from a typical
  hive (artificially enlarged bees) usually builds
  about 5.1mm cells for worker brood. This varies
  a lot, but typically this is the center of the
  brood nest. Some bees will go smaller faster.

43
Observations on Cell Size

• The next generation of bees will build worker
  brood comb in the range of 4.9mm to 5.1mm with
  some smaller and some larger.
• The spacing, if left to these regressed bees is
  typically 32mm or 1 ¼ in the center of the brood
  nest

44
1 ¼ spacing agrees with Hubers Observations

• The leaf or book hive consists of twelve vertical
  frames and their breadth fifteen lines (one
  line 1/12 of an inch. 15 lines 1 ¼). It is
  necessary that this last measure should be
  accurate
• François Huber 1806

45
Comb Width by Cell SizeAccording to Baudoux

• Cell Size mm Comb width mm
• 5.555 22.60
• 5.375 22.20
• 5.210 21.80
• 5.060 21.40
• 4.925 21.00
• 4.805 20.60
• 4.700 20.20
• ABC XYZ of Bee Culture 1945 edition Pg 126

46
Free Form Comb
47
Spacing as close as 30mm in brood area
48
Comb spacing

• Workers space comb based on their intended use.
• Workers perceive the intended use based on
  spacing.
• Worker brood area will be 1 ¼ (32mm)?
• Worker mixed with drone to will be 1 3/8 (35mm)?
• Honey storage 1 ½ (38mm) to 2

49
So what are natural sized cells

• I have measured a lot of natural drawn combs. I
  have seen worker brood in the range of 4.6mm to
  5.1mm with most in the 4.7 to 4.8 ranges. I have
  not seen any large areas of 5.4mm cells. So I
  would have to say

50
So what are natural sized cells

• Based on my measurements of natural worker brood
  comb
• There is nothing UNnatural about 4.9mm worker
  cells.
• 5.4mm worker cells are not the norm in a brood
  nest.
• Small cell has been adequate for me to have hives
  that are stable against Varroa mites with no
  treatments.

51
How to get natural sized cells.

• Top bar hives. (foundationless combs)
• Make the bars 32mm (1 ¼) for the brood area
• Make the bars 38mm (1 ½) for the honey area
• Foundationless frames.
• Make a comb guide like Langstroth did (see
  Langstroths Hive and the Honey-Bee
• Also helpful to cut down end bars to 1 ¼

52
How to get small cells

• Use 4.9mm foundation
• Use 4.9mm Honey Super Cell (fully drawn)?
• Use 4.95mm Mann Lake PF100 or PF120

53
What Ive done to get natural comb

• Top Bar Hives

54
What Ive done to get natural comb

• Top Bar Hives
• Foundationless Frames

55
Free form comb
56
What Ive done to get natural comb

• Top Bar Hives
• Foundationless Frames
• Free Form Comb
• Empty Frame Between Drawn Combs

57
Small Cell Studies

• Positive
• http//www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/vol1-2/gmr
  0057_full_text.htm
• http//europepmc.org/abstract/med/12917800
• http//www.apidologie.org/index.php?optioncom_art
  icleaccessstandardItemid129url/articles/apid
  o/pdf/2002/01/Martin.pdf
• http//www.beesource.com/point-of-view/hans-otto-j
  ohnsen/survival-of-a-commercial-beekeeper-in-norwa
  y/
• http//scientificbeekeeping.com/trial-of-honeysupe
  rcell-small-cell-combs/
• http//www.researchgate.net/publication/41700870_E
  ffect_of_the_size_of_worker_brood_cells_of_African
  ized_honey_bees_on_infestation_and_reproduction_of
  _the_ectoparasitic_mite_Varroa_jacobsoni_Oud
• http//www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/may97/honey.
  pdf
• http//www.apidologie.org/index.php?optioncom_art
  icleaccessstandardItemid129url/articles/apid
  o/pdf/2002/01/Martin.pdf
• http//www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S
  0304380001004409

58
Small Cell Studies

• Negative
• http//www.researchgate.net/publication/225570786_
  Small-cell_comb_does_not_control_Varroa_mites_in_c
  olonies_of_honeybees_of_European_origin
• http//link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10493-00
  8-9221-3?no-accesstrue
• http//www.beebehavior.com/Arxive/small_cell_comb_
  varroa_mites.pdf
• http//maxa.maf.govt.nz/sff/about-projects/search/
  00-256/cell-size-impact-on-varroa.pdf
• http//beeman.se/research/cell.htm

59
Discussions on Issues With Small Cell Studies

• http//beeuntoothers.com/index.php/beekeeping/arti
  cles/66-small-cell-studies
• http//www.elgon.se/pdf-filer/Small_cell_test_desi
  gns13c.pdf

60
Further reading

• www.bushfarms.com/beessctheories.htm
• www.bushfarms.com/beesfoursimplesteps.htm
• www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm
• www.beesource.com/point-of-view/ed-dee-lusby

61
Contact

• Michael Bush
• bees at bushfarms dot com
• www.bushfarms.com
• Book The Practical Beekeeper

62
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63
Peer reviewed study that shows that peer reviewed
studies are almost always wrong.

• www.plosmedicine.org/article/info3Adoi2F10.1371
  2Fjournal.pmed.0020124

64
Abstract summary

• There is increasing concern that most current
  published research findings are false. The
  probability that a research claim is true may
  depend on study power and bias, the number of
  other studies on the same question, and,
  importantly, the ratio of true to no
  relationships among the relationships probed in
  each scientific field. In this framework, a
  research finding is less likely to be true when
  the studies conducted in a field are smaller
  when effect sizes are smaller when there is a
  greater number and lesser preselection of tested
  relationships where there is greater flexibility
  in designs, definitions, outcomes, and analytical
  modes when there is greater financial and other
  interest and prejudice and when more teams are
  involved in a scientific field in chase of
  statistical significance. Simulations show that
  for most study designs and settings, it is more
  likely for a research claim to be false than
  true. Moreover, for many current scientific
  fields, claimed research findings may often be
  simply accurate measures of the prevailing bias.
  In this essay, I discuss the implications of
  these problems for the conduct and interpretation
  of research.

65

• "Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the
  lack of contradiction a sign of truth." --Blaise
  Pascal
• "All models are wrong, but some are useful"
  --George E.P. Box

66

• For every expert, there is an equal and opposite
  expert. -- Becker's Law

67
Observations of Beekeepers vs Observations of
Scientists

• "It will be readily appreciated that in the
  course of many years and daily contact with bees,
  the professional bee-keeper will of necessity
  gain a knowledge and insight into the mysterious
  ways of the honeybee, usually denied to the
  scientist in the laboratory and the amateur in
  possession of a few colonies. Indeed, a limited
  practical experience will inevitably lead to
  views and conclusions, which are often completely
  at variance to the findings of a wide practical
  nature." --Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey, Brother
  Adam

68
Quotes from conversation between Jennifer Berry,
Michael Bush, Dann Purvis and others concerning
Berrys small cell study, at HAS July, 2007 KY
State University, Frankfort, Kentucky

• If it's working for you, you should keep doing
  it.
• --Jennifer Berry
• The criteria is easy, it's not about counting
  mites, it's about survival.--Dann Purvis

69
Quote from Randy Oliver

• If you're not part of the genetic solution of
• breeding mite-tolerant bees, then you're part of
  the problem

70
Question

• If natural/small cell size will control Varroa,
  why did all the feral bees die off?

Answer
The problem is that this question typically comes
with several assumptions.
71

• The first assumption is that the feral bees have
  all but died out.
• I have not found this to be true. I see a lot of
  feral bees and I see more every year.

72

• The second assumption is that when some of the
  feral bees did die, that they all died from
  Varroa mites.
• A lot of things happened to the bees in this
  country including Tracheal mites, and viruses.
  I'm sure some of the survival from some of this
  is a matter of selection. The ones that couldn't
  withstand them died.

73

• The third assumption is that huge numbers of
  mites hitchhiking in on robbers can't overwhelm a
  hive no matter how well they handle Varroa.
• Tons of crashing domestic hives were bound to
  take a toll. Even if you have a fairly small and
  stable local population of Varroa, a huge influx
  from outside will overwhelm a hive.

74

• The fourth assumption is that a recently escaped
  swarm will build small cell.
• They will build something in between. For many
  years most of the feral bees were recent
  escapees. The population of feral bees was kept
  high by a lot of recent escapees and, in the
  past, those escapees often survived. It's only
  recently I've seen a shift in the population to
  be the dark bees rather than the Italians that
  look like they are recent. Large bees (bees from
  5.4 mm foundation) build an in between sized
  comb, usually around 5.1 mm. So these recently
  swarmed domestic bees are not fully regressed and
  often die in the first year or two.

75

• The fifth assumption is that small cell
  beekeepers don't believe there is also a genetic
  component to the survival of bees with Varroa.
• Obviously there are bees that are more or less
  hygienic and more or less able to deal with many
  pests and diseases. Whenever a new disease or
  pest comes along the ferals have to survive them
  without any help.

76

• The sixth assumption is that the feral bees
  suddenly died.
• The bees have been diminishing for the last 50
  years fairly steadily from pesticide misuse, loss
  of habitat and forage, and more recently from bee
  paranoia. People hear about AHB and kill any
  swarm they see.

77
Historic cell size measurements

• 1877 version of ABC of Beeculture, on page 147
  says
• "The best specimens of true worker-comb,
  generally contain 5 cells within the space of an
  inch, and therefore this measure has been adopted
  for the comb foundation."

78

• The 41st edition of ABC XYZ of Bee Culture on
  Page 160 (under Cell Size) says
• "The size of naturally constructed cells has been
  a subject of beekeeper and scientific curiosity
  since Swammerdam measured them in the 1600s.
  Numerous subsequent reports from around the world
  indicate that the diameter of naturally
  constructed cells ranges from 4.8 to 5.4mm. Cell
  diameter varies between geographic areas, but the
  overall range has not changed from the 1600s to
  the present time."

79

• And further down on the same page
• "reported cell size for Africanized honey bees
  averages 4.5-5.1mm."

80

• Marla Spivak and Eric Erickson in "Do
  measurements of worker cell size reliably
  distinguish Africanized from European honey bees
  (Apis mellifera L.)?" -- American Bee Journal v.
  April 1992, p. 252-255 says

81

• "...a continuous range of behaviors and cell size
  measurements was noted between colonies
  considered "strongly European" and "strongly
  Africanized". "

82

• "Due to the high degree of variation within and
  among feral and managed populations of
  Africanized bees, it is emphasized that the most
  effective solution to the Africanized "problem",
  in areas where Africanized bees have established
  permanent populations, is to consistently select
  for the most gentle and productive colonies among
  the existing honey bee population"

83

• From Identification and relative success of
  Africanized and European honey bees in Costa
  Rica. Spivak, M

84
Bush's Law of Problems and Solutions

• Most problems are imaginary and most solutions
  are illusions

85
Small Cell Study Issues
Let's assume a short term study (which all of
them have been) during the drone rearing time of
the year (which all of them have been) and make
the assumption for the moment that Dee Lusby's
"psuedodrone" theory is true, meaning that with
large cell the Varroa often mistake large cell
workers for drone cells and therefore infest them
more. Then the Varroa in the large cell hives
during that time would be less successful
reproducing because they are in the wrong cells
(worker). The Varroa, during that time would be
more successful on small cell because they are in
the drone cells. But later in the year this may
shift dramatically when, first, the small cell
workers have not taken damage from the Varroa and
second, drone rearing drops off and the mites
have nowhere to go.