I just wanted to write a quick set of reasoning for why we use small cell, since there is so much misinformation around, and to get this forum started.
Small cell is not a treatment, it is not something you put in a hive to reduce mite levels. In fact, we believe it may increase mite levels.
Why?
Because, I believe, it pushes the mites more toward the drone brood. We all know mites prefer drone brood, this is a scientifically proven fact and commonly accepted information. We believe smaller cells cause the mites to preferentially eat the drone brood. Drone brood is capped longer, leading to more effective reproduction of the mites.
This allows a hive to survive with a larger mite load, one perhaps beyond traditional triggers for treatment. Drones are expendable, they can be expelled from the hive with limited detriment.
Small cell will not eliminate mite problems.
Small cell will not reduce mite numbers.
We also use small cell for other various benefits, firstly because it is "more natural" than standard foundation sizes. When faced with the choice between more natural and less natural, all other factors being equal, I choose more natural. Seems like the obvious choice to me.
Smaller cells mean more brood in the same comb area. This seems self evidently a good thing, compact broodnest, easier climate control, etc.
Some evidence for quicker emergence of worker brood, possibly leading to reduced mite reproduction, leading to natural selection of mites away from eating worker brood.
Not sure if this is proven, but smaller cells may equal smaller bees which are more resource efficient to make, and have lower energy expenditure in flying.
All of this would also apply to foundationless (I do not believe "natural cell" exists in a managed hive especially starting with commercial sourced bees) providing the cell size is actually smaller than 5.2mm, which is by no means a guarantee. I have had a number of conversations where people have equivocated small cell with foundationless and then discovered their cell size was actually much larger than standard. "Small cell doesn't work, my bees died!" Unless you have small cell (4.95mm or less), you don't have small cell. And aside from that, bees still die. Fact of life.
Small cell is not a treatment, it is not something you put in a hive to reduce mite levels. In fact, we believe it may increase mite levels.
Why?
Because, I believe, it pushes the mites more toward the drone brood. We all know mites prefer drone brood, this is a scientifically proven fact and commonly accepted information. We believe smaller cells cause the mites to preferentially eat the drone brood. Drone brood is capped longer, leading to more effective reproduction of the mites.
This allows a hive to survive with a larger mite load, one perhaps beyond traditional triggers for treatment. Drones are expendable, they can be expelled from the hive with limited detriment.
Small cell will not eliminate mite problems.
Small cell will not reduce mite numbers.
We also use small cell for other various benefits, firstly because it is "more natural" than standard foundation sizes. When faced with the choice between more natural and less natural, all other factors being equal, I choose more natural. Seems like the obvious choice to me.
Smaller cells mean more brood in the same comb area. This seems self evidently a good thing, compact broodnest, easier climate control, etc.
Some evidence for quicker emergence of worker brood, possibly leading to reduced mite reproduction, leading to natural selection of mites away from eating worker brood.
Not sure if this is proven, but smaller cells may equal smaller bees which are more resource efficient to make, and have lower energy expenditure in flying.
All of this would also apply to foundationless (I do not believe "natural cell" exists in a managed hive especially starting with commercial sourced bees) providing the cell size is actually smaller than 5.2mm, which is by no means a guarantee. I have had a number of conversations where people have equivocated small cell with foundationless and then discovered their cell size was actually much larger than standard. "Small cell doesn't work, my bees died!" Unless you have small cell (4.95mm or less), you don't have small cell. And aside from that, bees still die. Fact of life.
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