From: Joel Govostes <jwg6@cornell.edu>
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 11:19:09 -0500
To: BiologicalBeekeeping@egroups.com
Subject: Re: cell size in supers

I recall reading some material once regarding the natural A.m. nest, and
the use of portions of the comb by a queen for egg laying.

The jist of the article was that as new comb was added to the lower edge of
a natural set of combs, the queen would "prefer" these for her laying, and
would gradually abandon the cells higher up, which had seen a great deal of
prior use. Brood, then, would tend to be reared on newer comb.

This situation would be pretty much opposite to what we find in a managed
hive, where the newer combs are often found near the top (supers), where
they are constructed for surplus honey storage.

Perhaps someone could comment from experience, or from what they have
observed in "wild" nests.(?) The idea of queens utilizing newer comb
appears to contradict the common notion that queens prefer old, dark combs
to newly constructed ones. So then, does a colony (left to its own
devices) indeed abandon old, dark, cocoon-laden combs, over time, and shift
their brood nest onto newer ones? Could this be a behavior that would
prevent reduction in workers' body size over time?

Interested in any discussion or comments.
thanks...
jg