# small cell research refrerences



## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

I belong to a small speaking group similar to Toast Masters and my project is to prepare a talk in an area that I know about but in a a sub-category that I have little knowledge about. So I chose small cell. Yep, I am as dumb as a board in this area. Well I might be dumber.









I am only allowed to use authoritative studies as references or published materials that make references to first source information. This requirement unfortunately rules out using Beesource as a source of information and makes it a very hard project. 

*I need your help* in pointing me in the right direction. I have 30 days to pull the information together. I know ABJ and Bee Culture have articles that reference source studies and I can use those. Does anyone have copies of old articles about small cell, that they can fax me?

We got to choose our topic and thought I picked a good one since we have so many samll cell beekeepers on this site. It was only *after* we selected our topics that they put the restriction of source materials. They do tricky stuff like this all the time. One guy picked fly fishing. I would not want to have his topic because I can't imagine were he is going to find source documentation. 

[ November 02, 2006, 07:52 AM: Message edited by: magnet-man ]


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

The following bits and pieces are from my personal notes. Check the listed references, they may help.

The necessity of finding ways and means of controlling honeybee mites has resulted in more attention to cell construction. European proponents of a special cell configuration suggest that adequate mite control may result [H&HB, 1992, p554]. 

Minute differences in the sizes of worker cells have become the focus of research [Ref 15, p28].

In Brazil, where apiculture is based on the Africanized honey bee and hives normally contain self-made combs (natural-sized) w/ relative small cells, there have been no losses of colonies due to Varroa (De Jong, 1997) [http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/voll-2/gmr0057_full_text.htm].

Africanized bees have fewer mites than European bees [Ref 16, p198]. 

Brazilian researchers have shown [http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests-diseases/animals/varroa/guidelines/control.htm  p 57, Accessed 8/1/05].

A 2-year study (1999) by USDA, Tucson, suggest that reduced cell size may have an impact on Varroa and Tracheal mite dynamics and could be a useful management tool when used as part of an integrated pest management system [http://www.beesource.com/pov/lusby/tektran99.htm].

Hans-Otto Johnsen, a commercial beekeeper in Norway, describes a reduction in natural fall of 71.5% in June and 75% in September in his 2-yr experience using small cell [BC 9/05, p37]. 

CELL HEIGHT - Calis et al. (1993) and Beetsma et al. (1999) found that shortened cells became more infested [http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/voll-2/gmr0057_full_text.htm - Accessed 4/7/05].

A study by Piccirillo and De Jong, published Mar 10, 2003, shows a positive correlation between cell width and cell infestation. [http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/voll-2/gmr0057_full_text.htm - Accessed 4/7/05]. 

Varroa mites preferentially infest slightly larger cell sizes [BC, 11/04, p55]. 

Varroa preference for drone brood [Ref 16, p137]. 

a study by Message and Goncalves (1995) found more than twice as many mites in large cells compared to Africanized-sized brood cells [http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/voll-2/gmr0057_full_text.htm - Accessed 4/7/05].

It appears that natural-sized comb is SUPERIOR to over-sized combs for disease resistance [http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/voll-2/gmr0057_full_text.htm - Accessed 4/7/05].

Shorter bee development - (Calis et. al., 1996) [http://www.culturaapicola.com.ar/apuntes/sanidad/ecol monogr.pdf  p11, Accessed 11/9/05].

Steve Taber states that both queen and drones of Apis mellifera have genetic variation as to when their progeny will emerge. Bees hatch from daughter queens artificial inseminated (AI) w/ a single drones semen (each from a different drone) in 19 to 22 days [Steve Taber, ABJ, 11/06, p938]. 

Attraction Distance - Piccirillo and De Jong (3/03) Shortened cells become more infested (Calis et al. (1993) and Beetsma et al. (1999)). [http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/voll-2/gmr0057_full_text.htm - Accessed 4/7/05].

OLD COMB - [BC, 11/04, p55].


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## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

Thanks Dave! That is just what I need!


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

"The influence of brood comb cell size on the reproductive behavior of the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor in Africanized honey bee colonies" 

http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2003/vol1-2/gmr0057_full_text.htm

This is a cell size study that used different sized cells in AHB colonies.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Dave, you have an impressive mind for detail.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>Dave, you have an impressive mind for detail . . .

I just wish I could do MORE w/ all the details


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

magnet-man . . .

How is your research going????


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## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

I had to reschedule because I will be out of town that week. So I haven't done any research yet. Talked to the guy doing the fly fishing and he actually found something. Not much though.


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## cmq (Aug 12, 2003)

So how much of the AHB's resistance is attributed to the smaller cells and how much is attributed to behavioral (genetic) differences??


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## Dick Allen (Sep 4, 2004)

How did the talk go?

Just received this in my email. Thought I'd pass it along. The last two sentences of the abstract were interesting.

http://publish.edpsciences.org/articles/apido/abs/2006/06/m6049/m6049.html


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