Small cell foundation(Original foundation) and hive strength..5 mm was the original size foundation.

[@strutt01]

Heres the detes on when small cell was first produced in the 1800's en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax_foundation Nothing to do with mites. It was started in the 1800's because that was the size of bees.

[@gallowaylights]

00:07:54 Not more bee math... ha ha😂

[@strutt01]

I know right! Lol

[@researcherAmateur]

We studied the small cell for a long time. My father still has all his bees on it. You know why they went to bigger cells back then.. because a bigger bee has a longer tongue and can reach deeper in some flowers and obviously has a bigger reservoir to fill. I think they even had a particular flower in mind but I forgot.. I'm not sure about that

[@strutt01]

@@researcherAmateur I'm familiar with that. I I think it's the crimson clover.

[@researcherAmateur]

@@strutt01 yes, it could be.. We did one test without moving any frames position ever. They build 4.6 in the middle of the nest and going out it arrived to 5.5 for honey.. even wider and more angled up. That's how their natural behavior is when we don't play poker with the frames. I did it long time ago but I don't stick to it.. it's not practical. Our carnies tend to be a bit bigger than other bees (in average) anyway. My old man jokes that the queen has problems pushing her butt down in 4.6

[@strutt01]

@@researcherAmateur Lol. I can see that. But now do you allow for drone comb to be built? Personally I keep 2 frames of drone foundation in a 10 frame deep acting as a magnet for the mites. And I don't cull the drones. Although I do get my mite counts to zero on a bottom board right around the winter solstice. I have found if I get the hive nearly mite free in December, their winter survival rate has jumped to nearly 100%. Then the only other big obstacle is moisture when the maples start blooming. (February)

[@strutt01]

That's cool knowing they build the smallest cells in the middle of the nest.

[@researcherAmateur]

Yes we use a lot of drones.. I'm on an island and in spring there's nobody else with bees. They all move their 50 hives trailer- boxes to better flows on land. So l have to keep a book of the two lines of bees that we keep and breed our own queens. Same as the queen line l have to keep track of the drone line.. l call it grandma genetic.. as the drones are the genetic lines of the old queens... I don't use plastic drone frames, just put and empty in early spring at position 2 or 8 and they end up being drone frames for the season. We have our drone congregation area souranded with hives that are used to keep the drone frames collected from our other hives. They have to be overfed with everything, never feel the lack of food. Than in July it gets to hot and dry and by then l'm done with it and those last drone frames end up in a solar melter and the queens caged for a brood break. By mid August varroa is gone and the hives have new queens and new bees will soon be there all healthy for the flow. This is a different place.. very warm. I get most of the honey after summer in the late fall flow. I'm writing to long.. and it's never enough. Growing up under a queen flying path.. or a congregation area. But it's not an area.. it's more a long narrow path that drones patrol whayting for a virgin to enter into. Never mind

[@goofycur]

At least it's easier to prove that nailor dogs are tree happy goofballs and wipeout dogs can be a little trashy lol. I kinda want to go foundation less but it's real hot in Louisiana

[@strutt01]

Id sure have 4 strings of wire for sure. Wewww.

[@strutt01]

you should check out Butts Bees

[@researcherAmateur]

She is a great Beekeeper and she knows a lot. It's a shame that YT beekeeping doesn't work on knowledge for getting subscribers. I'm not a stranger to criticizing bad practice... In my opinion she could have one of the best channels...

[@strutt01]

@@researcherAmateur yea, I'm a fan of her too. 😁