Natural Cell Honeybees

I'd like to start this Knol by sharing a little known fact... Feral Honeybees, no matter what race, are naturally smaller, subsequently building smaller cells than what we see today in hives that are managed with "standard" foundation.  In doing so, these bees that rear their young in smaller cells, can better fight parasites such as Varroa Mites, without the need for chemicals. 

There are a few other beekeepers out there that share the same views as I do, such as Michael Bush, and have made the same observations.  But, most beekeepers will continue to do what they have always done, because it's easier and less costly for them than it would be to change over their frames of "standard" foundation.  I refuse to allow money or time to dictate my use of frames of unnatural sized foundation and allow my hives to be overrun by Varroa.  I refuse to use chemicals in my hives for the convenience of using larger cell foundation.

Instead of running my hives with the status quo, I use a method that we call Small Cell or Natural Cell Beekeeping.  Which sometimes involves a method of regression to get larger bees (that were initially raised on larger foundation) to build the size cells they prefer without any unnatural size influance, as they would do if they swarmed and took up residence in a tree with no foundation to guide them, eventually they will stabalize the size of cells they build which ranges from 4.6mm to 4.9mm in size, such as this example of a late swarm regression.

Honeybees build their wax cells of comb in direct proportion to their body size.  Small Cell Foundation is imprinted with a size of 4.9mm in order to give the bees some sort of quidance and direction if they are not small enough in size to begin with.  This confuses a colony of larger sized bees and they will sometimes refuse to draw out any comb on these frames of foundation, therefore I choose to allow the bees to build the size comb they want, without the guidance of foundation.  I place "foundationless" frames in my hives and allow the bees to build the comb to their liking.  Each cycle of brood being reared from these frames of natural comb will continue to regress to a smaller size until they stabalize.  Sometimes full regression is achieved in as little as one season.

Just a small rant and introduction to Natural Cell Beekeeping... I will continue to add to this content and elaborate more as time allows.

Kevin L. Tuttle
Great Lakes Honey