# 5.1mm vs 4.9 vs 5.5



## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

You know, just when I think I start to get it, I get blind-sided. I have been using large cell for years. I bought a couple of hundred sheets of 8" box foundation about a month and a half ago....LC. So, I read you guys and how you are going to small cell, so I go buy 100 sheets of full depth small cell from Dadant. Now, I had no idea that Dadants Small Cell was 5.1 and not 4.9....

So, why does Dadant sell 5.1 small cell crimp wired foundation, and not 4.9? Now that I have invested in 5.1 I should probably stick with 5.1, or maybe I should go to 4.9. Thoughts?

I still need a few hundred sheets of foundation for my medium depth frames...I think I should probably buy 5.1, since I have all that 5.1 full depth and will be putting one med. box on a full depth...as my brood boxes.

Although, now that I think about it, Dadant didn't have 5.1 SC for my medium frames....only for full depth frames. Do they even carry it? 

The difficulties when you don't know enough...


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

Jeff

here's the deal
if you try to move bee's directly from LC to SC they usually don't like the big jump and will rework the SC foundation and draw something in between
it's often not pretty
here's my first try

http://www.drobbins.net/bee's/Dsc00776.jpg

the 5.1 foundation is meant to be an intermediate step
personally I just used empty frames as this intermediate step, but the point is, in the end, you want to get down to 4.9mm, it just take a bit of work to get there

Dave


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

Dave, I really appreciate your post. I had no idea that there was an intermediate step. So, what I will do, is slowly work my way to 4.9 mm.

I will take the interim step to 5.1 this next season and then the following season drop to 4.9.
I'll mark the frames LC, 5.1 and 4.9 respectively in order to keep track.

Now I just need to find 5.1 for medium depth boxes. 

Again thanks and I'll post my progress from time to time.


Regards, Jeff


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Dadant has it in medium (5 1/2") and deep (8 1/2") sizes and cell sizes in 5.1 and 4.9mm and wired and unwired. You just have to ask and specify what you want.


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## albee (Nov 16, 2006)

I'm just doing 5.1mm in 10 brood chambers. When I change them over to 4.9 I will move the 5.1 to other hives. I'm trying to save some $$$ and hope the frames of 5.1 with brood in them will give the other colonies a boost.


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