I have read a few articles on regression with natural bee size and was wondering about some things.
It seems that man is always trying to make animals or plants produce more all the time for his benefit. Take
for example the angus cow. It's a farmers dream cow for meat production. Yet, it's survival in the wild would
not be long unlike it's ancestors. Farmed trout and salmon grow faster now than they did 50 years ago as
well because of man's breeding efforts. They too don't do as well when released in the wild. The list goes
on. Some improvement is fine but the medicines used in food production is out of hand. I guess to have
power is to abuse it and man does this all too well.
Some of my questions are:
1. Does a hive full of small bees produce the same amount of honey as a hive full of larger bees?
2. If larger drone comb is usefull for controlling varroa wouldn't smaller comb size mean less varroa after a while?
3. Wouldn't a larger amount of small bees bee able to survive easier in the winter compared to fewer larger bees?
I imagine nucleus of small bees in the winter would be able to fit tighter and stay warmer. I also think that
each large bee that dies in the winter makes a bigger gap in the nucleus than a small bee dying.
I do know that larger honey comb size makes it easier to harvest the honey. I'm not knocking large bees.
I'm just wondering what are the differences if any? I wonder if there will be smaller queen excluders made?
I can see a 4.9 mm queen going thru a regular queen excluder.
I only ask now as to avoid mistakes later and may we all learn together like a good hive.
It seems that man is always trying to make animals or plants produce more all the time for his benefit. Take
for example the angus cow. It's a farmers dream cow for meat production. Yet, it's survival in the wild would
not be long unlike it's ancestors. Farmed trout and salmon grow faster now than they did 50 years ago as
well because of man's breeding efforts. They too don't do as well when released in the wild. The list goes
on. Some improvement is fine but the medicines used in food production is out of hand. I guess to have
power is to abuse it and man does this all too well.
Some of my questions are:
1. Does a hive full of small bees produce the same amount of honey as a hive full of larger bees?
2. If larger drone comb is usefull for controlling varroa wouldn't smaller comb size mean less varroa after a while?
3. Wouldn't a larger amount of small bees bee able to survive easier in the winter compared to fewer larger bees?
I imagine nucleus of small bees in the winter would be able to fit tighter and stay warmer. I also think that
each large bee that dies in the winter makes a bigger gap in the nucleus than a small bee dying.
I do know that larger honey comb size makes it easier to harvest the honey. I'm not knocking large bees.
I'm just wondering what are the differences if any? I wonder if there will be smaller queen excluders made?
I can see a 4.9 mm queen going thru a regular queen excluder.
I only ask now as to avoid mistakes later and may we all learn together like a good hive.