Transcript Slide 1

Small Cell Hive
Management
for Disease and Pest Control
Copyright 2007 by Michael Bush
Presentations online

Before you take copious notes, all these
presentations are online here:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespresentations.htm
For info about Natural Cell Size
 www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm
 www.beesource.com/pov/lusby/index.htm
 groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers
Synopsis of reasons for small cell
beekeeping
 Standard foundation is 5.4 mm cell size.
 Turn of the Century foundation was 5.08 mm
 Small Cell foundation is 4.9 mm cell size.
 In my experience natural cell size for worker
brood is between 4.4 mm and 5.1 mm
Natural Comb
Current cell sizes
Cell sizes of natural comb and common foundation
 Natural worker comb 4.4 mm to 5.1mm
 Lusby 4.8 to 4.9 mm average 4.83 mm
 Dadant 4.9mm Small Cell 4.9 mm
 Honey Super Cell 4.9 mm
 Wax dipped PermaComb 4.95 mm
 Mann Lake PF100 & PF120 4.95 mm
 19th century foundation 5.0 to 5.08 mm
 Dadant 5.1mm Small Cell 5.1 mm
 PermaComb 5.1 mm
 Pierco foundation 5.2 mm
 Pierco deep frames 5.25 mm
 Pierco medium frames 5.35 mm
 RiteCell 5.4 mm
 Standard worker foundation 5.4 to 5.5mm
 7/11 5.6 mm
 HSC Medium Frames 6.0 mm
 Drone 6.4 to 6.6 mm
Pre and post capping times
Huber’s observations on capping and emergence
on Natural Comb.
Keep in mind that on the 1st day no time has elapsed
and on the 20th 19 days have elapsed. If you have
doubts about this add up the elapsed time he refers
to. It adds up to 18 ½ days.
"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."
François Huber 4 September 1791.
Pre and post capping times
My observations on Carniolan and Italian bees
on 4.95 mm cell size
in the observation hive:
Capped 8 days after layed
Emerged 19 days after layed
Pre and Post capping times and Varroa
8 hours shorter
capping time halves
the number of Varroa
infesting a brood
cell.
8 hours shorter post
capping time halves
the number of
offspring of a Varroa
in the brood cell.
How to get small cells
 Use 4.9 mm foundation
 Use 4.9 mm starter strips
 Use Mann Lake PF100 or PF120 frames
 Use Honey Super Cell fully drawn 4.9mm
comb
 Use PermaComb and wax dip it
 Use foundationless frames
 Use narrow frames (32mm)
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
Comb Spacing
Comb spacing
30-34mm
Baudoux on Comb thickness
 Cell Size
Comb width
5.555 mm 22.60 mm
5.375 mm 22.20 mm
5.210 mm 21.80 mm
5.060 mm 21.40 mm
4.925 mm 21.00 mm
4.805 mm 20.60 mm
4.700 mm 20.20 mm
ABC XYZ of Bee Culture 1945 edition Pg 126
Huber on Comb spacing
"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“ =
32mm). It is necessary that this last measure
should be accurate." François Huber 1806
Huber’s Leaf Hive
Regression
 Large bees, from large cells, sometimes
cannot build natural sized cells. They build
something in between. Most will build 5.1 mm
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.
Instant Regression
 Either wax dipped PermaComb or the Honey
Super Cell will provide small cell comb and
the need to regress is eliminated. The bees
will use the smaller comb, even though they
wouldn’t have drawn it that small in the first
generation, and the generation that emerges
from that comb will draw small cell comb.
Quick Regression
 I’m having very good luck getting commercial
large cell packages to draw the PF120’s from
Mann Lake out to 4.95mm cells on the first
try.
Other ways to get quicker regression
 Some people do shakedowns. That means
shaking all the bees off of all the combs and
essentially making them into a package of
bees. This is then installed on 4.9mm
foundation. Sometimes they abscond, so it’s
common to put an excluder on the bottom
board so the queen can’t leave.
Gradual Regression
 If you simply feed 4.9mm foundation into the hive and
remove the large cell combs every chance you get
you’ll eventually get regressed. If you have some
program of comb rotation simply rotate the small cell
in and the old combs out.
 Every time you find a large cell comb empty, remove
it. Every time you find one full of stores and the
colony can spare it, harvest it.
 Move capped large cell brood above an excluder to
let the brood emerge without the queen laying in it
again.
How do swap out combs
 Whatever you are swapping (4.9mm, foundationless,
etc.) you are trying to swap out either comb that is
empty or not being used for brood at a time when
they are drawing comb. In other words, early in the
spring when a lot of combs are already empty, or a
little later when there is a good enough flow that
losing a comb of honey or pollen wouldn't be a
setback.
 If you have several boxes all the same sized comb
brood can also be moved above an excluder until it
emerges and then swapped for 4.9, foundationless
etc.
What combs to remove?
 You're trying to replace larger cells (5.2mm or so)
with the chance for them to get smaller combs. So
measure the core of the combs and keep trying to
leave the smaller (4.9mm or smaller) and remove the
largest ones
How small?
 You may find in your geographical location with your
genetic stock that 5.0mm is about as small as they
will go. I think 4.9mm is a good goal, but in the end
what they are willing to build should be sufficient.
 The size at the core of the brood nest is what I would
be concerned about. In my experience, not every cell
in the hive has to be 4.9mm or below to handle mites.
What to do while regressing
 Monitor mite levels
Sugar shake
 Natural mite drop
 Uncap some drone brood

What if my mite levels are up?
 Ways to control mites
while regressing
without contaminating
the combs
Drone removal
 Sugar shake
 Oxalic acid

When the mites stabilize
 Once the core of the brood nest is 4.9mm or
below, the mite levels have always stabilized
for me. If yours do, you can now focus on
beekeeping instead of mites.
Other Issues
 Genetics
 Survivor stock
Other Issues
 Feed
 Sugar is a different pH from honey and
missing many micronutrients as well
 Pollen substitute is inferior to real pollen
 Nutrition severely impacts the colony’s ability
to cope with any stressors including mites and
diseases
Unbiased assessment of my hives
 State Health Certificates
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From 2004 to 2007
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2005
2006
2007
2008
Health
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2009
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www.bushfarms.com
 More information concerning natural cell size
and Varroa, observation hives, top entrances,
lighter equipment, horizontal hives, queen
rearing, general beekeeping, and many other
topics.
 Information on on natural cell size is in the
“Pests” category under the item “Natural Cell
Size.
 Many classic queen rearing books.
 Huber’s New Observations on the Natural
History of Bees
Contact
 bees at bushfarms dot com
 www.bushfarms.com