Small Cell Foundation

[mathew]

Have anyone tried using small cell 4.9mm foundations?

I have just installed a package of bees and started them off with frames with starter strips from the small cell foundation. The frames are foundationless. I have noticed that the bees are building over the cells and are creating bigger cells than what is prescribed. My plan is to keep these small cells in the brood nest

Have anyone had the same issue and is there a way to slowly correct this?

The whole idea of the small cell foundation is to get the bees to emerge in a shorter time to misalign the life cycle of the mites and to eventually reduce the mite population in the colony.

What about adding supers with build up comb from the normal 5.4mm foundation? Would it spoil the whole process of getting the bees to regress?

[FRAMEshift]

The cell size in the starter strip will not have any influence on what size the bees build in the foundationless frame.   And package bees raised on standard 5.4 mm cells will make cells down to about 5.1mm on a foundationless frame.  Subsequent generations will make smaller cells and eventually you will have natural comb.

[Michael Bach]

I started 3 packages on 4.9 plastic frames.  They have done a pretty good job in keeping 4.9.  On occassion they get bigger and raise drones.

I have noticed that they have reworked areas down to 4.9.

[Michael Bush]

>Have anyone tried using small cell 4.9mm foundations?

I've been using that and foundationless since 2001.

>I have just installed a package of bees and started them off with frames with starter strips from the small cell foundation. The frames are foundationless. I have noticed that the bees are building over the cells and are creating bigger cells than what is prescribed. My plan is to keep these small cells in the brood nest

Bees will build what they want and what the want is a variety of sizes for different purposes.  If you want to let them build what they want, starter strips are fine.  If you want them to build 4.9mm then you should buy 4.9mm foundation and use it for the whole frame.

>Have anyone had the same issue and is there a way to slowly correct this?

The bees will slowly adjust IF you keep pulling the largest comb out and let them draw smaller.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm#whatisregression

>The whole idea of the small cell foundation is to get the bees to emerge in a shorter time to misalign the life cycle of the mites and to eventually reduce the mite population in the colony.

That is one result out of many.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm#preandpostcappingtimes

>What about adding supers with build up comb from the normal 5.4mm foundation? Would it spoil the whole process of getting the bees to regress?

It would require the use of an excluder.  I prefer not to use one.  The bees show a definite preference not to use one...
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesulbn.htm

[mathew]

>I've been using that and foundationless since 2001.<

Do you use 4.9mm foundation and foundationless in the same hive?

Thanks for the detailed explanation and the links to your site. I will use this as a guide and modify my methods as I proceed.

Thanks Michael!

[Michael Bush]

>>I've been using that and foundationless since 2001.<

>Do you use 4.9mm foundation and foundationless in the same hive?

At first I experimented with them separately.  Now I mix them freely.  PF100s, wax dipped permacomb, Honey Super Cell, 4.9mm wax foundation, foundationless...