What determines the size which bees will build honeycomb cell size, disregarding foundation? Do bees measure the size of each cell as they build it? Do they teardown and rebuild if it isn't the proper size? what's the mechanism? Is this a Doctorate Thesis?
sqkcrk
Local feral survivors in eight frame medium boxes.
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In my observation the size of the cell is driven by several factors. One is the spacing of the combs, and that seems to be driven by the intent for the comb being drawn. Another is the body size of the bees. Bees from large cell foundation are larger and want to draw larger cells. Back to the intent, if the use of the cell is intended to be honey storage it will be larger than worker cells in the brood nest. If the intent is to make drones, it will be much larger. If the intent is to use it to rear workers it will be smaller.
So the interrelated stimulus are things like the time of year, the number of drones in the hive, the amount of existing drone comb in the hive, the spacing of the combs, the size of the bees, the flow of the nectar etc.
So the interrelated stimulus are things like the time of year, the number of drones in the hive, the amount of existing drone comb in the hive, the spacing of the combs, the size of the bees, the flow of the nectar etc.
Local feral survivors in eight frame medium boxes.
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Huber has quite a bit to say on the subject, but here is the part on honey storage cells being different:
"There is another circumstance under which bees enlarge the dimensions of the cells; it is when a considerable crop of honey presents itself; not only do they give the cells a much larger diameter than common, but they prolong their tubes as far as space admits. In times of great harvest, we see irregular combs, the cells of which are an inch to an inch and a half in depth (2.5 to 4 cm)."--Francis Huber, New Observations Upon Bees Volume II Chapter V
Seeley said:
“The basic nest organization is honey storage above, brood nest below, and pollen storage in between. Associated with this arrangement are differences in comb structure. Com-pared to combs used for honey storage, combs of the brood nest are generally darker and more uniform in width and in cell form. Drone comb is located on the brood nest's periphery.” —The nest of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), T. D. Seeley and R. A. Morse
"There is another circumstance under which bees enlarge the dimensions of the cells; it is when a considerable crop of honey presents itself; not only do they give the cells a much larger diameter than common, but they prolong their tubes as far as space admits. In times of great harvest, we see irregular combs, the cells of which are an inch to an inch and a half in depth (2.5 to 4 cm)."--Francis Huber, New Observations Upon Bees Volume II Chapter V
Seeley said:
“The basic nest organization is honey storage above, brood nest below, and pollen storage in between. Associated with this arrangement are differences in comb structure. Com-pared to combs used for honey storage, combs of the brood nest are generally darker and more uniform in width and in cell form. Drone comb is located on the brood nest's periphery.” —The nest of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), T. D. Seeley and R. A. Morse
Local feral survivors in eight frame medium boxes.
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Any larger diameter cell is at the expense of space somewhere to do the transition to larger but not afterwards. Any deeper cell is at the expense of space somewhere. Some other comb will have to be less deep. But I think Huber was looking at it from the point of view of a naturalist at the time, not a beekeeper with regular spaced combs. That point is that honey storage combs are thicker. They are also larger in diameter.
Local feral survivors in eight frame medium boxes.
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Comb built from foundation tends to be the size of the foundation. Measure it and see what it is.
Local feral survivors in eight frame medium boxes.
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According to Grout there is a lower limit and they will chew them out and not let the size fall below that. My guess is that varies by bee size but then bee size would gradually shrink. Imagine how many more layers of cocoons it takes for 5.4mm cell to get to the lower limit...
Local feral survivors in eight frame medium boxes.
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>Aren't cocoons cleaned out of the cells?
At some lower threshold, yes.
At some lower threshold, yes.
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>Am not sure what that means.
It means the bees have some threshold they won't go below. When the cocoons have built up to the point that the size is below that threshold they will chew out the cocoons. But not before that. So with larger cells that is a lot more cocoons.
It means the bees have some threshold they won't go below. When the cocoons have built up to the point that the size is below that threshold they will chew out the cocoons. But not before that. So with larger cells that is a lot more cocoons.
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