Mar 19, 2017 · Much has been said about small cell comb for honey bees. The implication is there is some smaller cell size that is "natural' compared to the usual cell sizes of the vast majority of commercial foundation. This mythical idea was pushed …

Apr 18, 2014 · I'd like to hear what size traps some of you successful swarm catchers use. I made some 5 frame deep nucs and made, deep 5 frame "supers" to put on top and was planning on using these as swarm traps. I talked to a 2nd generation beekeeper last night at a local beekeepers meeting and he told me he uses a standard 10 frame deep with a medium ...

May 19, 2012 · An entrance of 3/8" (bee space) by 4" seems like a good size to me. Dr. Thomas Seeley did some experiments in the 90s on the preferences of honeybee colonies when choosing new hives. His research found that they don't much care for entrances larger than 15 square centimetres (~2.3 square inches).

Jul 18, 2013 · From me, the direct answer to your question is that minimal entrance is 2-bees-size. But it is mainly for robbing situation and for couple of days. In normal life, the entrance should be bigger. My personal small (not minimal) entrance is 8-9mm high, 10-15 mm long. Next size (if bees obviously crowded at the entrance) would be 10-15 cm long.

Oct 1, 2014 · Bee space is the height of a cavity or opening in which the bees will not generally fill with comb or propolis. I think what is being referred to as "bee size" is the smallest size a bee can reasonably pass through. For my bees, 1/4" fills the bill. Wayne

Feb 25, 2012 · 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...

Feb 24, 2016 · These studies were followed by those of Gontarski who found that the greatest percentage of bee size change occurs using a cell size of 700 cells per dm2 (5.7 mm per cell) (5). Our investigation suggests that many of the rollers used in mills manufacturing foundation in the United States are made in Europe and the producers of these rollers ...

Oct 1, 2003 · But bee size appears to be a very complex situation. Could bee size and the seasonal use of varying cell size complement each other? Maybe an absolute cell size like 4.9 isn't as important as is a good, tight seasonal fit with smaller comb/bees at the right time and larger comb/bees at the right time. Regards Dennis

Nov 5, 2011 · The size of the hole to drill with a drill bit is 3/32 of an inch - one less 32nd of an inch than 1/8 of an inch. Four holes will work or more if you want to speed up the rate of consumption. I use plastic lids because I have an unproven idea that metal might be too cold since metal is a better conductor of heat.

Mar 21, 2006 · Mesh Size = # of openings per inch Courtesy of the Better Bee Catalog: #5 Mesh: Use for pollen trap screens. When the bees squeeze through this size screen, a certain percentage of the pollen that they are carrying in their sacks is dislodged and falls through the screen covering the pollen collection drawer. #6 Mesh: Use for making varroa screens.