To BjornBee.
I am sorry that I have hit such a tender nerve with you. I went to your web site, interestingly enough your responses to me are contrary to your site. I bow to the fact that you have done tbh's for five years and have a greater knowledge along these lines than I. However, it has indeed been proven that, yes, man has built the tbh hive, but the bees do what they do best naturally. Cell size is smaller, the bees themselves are a touch smaller, and disease is less. So TBH's are indeed a more natural way (less man made or directed) to "manage" bees.
I am only responding to explain my stance. This is not something that i will continue to debate. Its not instructional to anyone.
Again, I am sorry for giving you the impression that my experiences are of a greater value than yours, they are not. They are only our experiences here in western NY., and as always, location we have found dictates everything.
Keith
What diseases? I have seen no studies, proof myself in my own operation, or any other material to suggest that disease is handled my the mere fact of using a TBH.
As for cell size....unless you regress, the cell size is no different than any other foundationless system you use. Bees do not draw smaller cells for the mere fact that a TBH is being used. The comb may be "natural" from the stance that they are not being given a preset pattern to follow such as with foundation, but any indication to smaller comb or smaller bees by using a TBH is not true. You can get that in any hive you use, by going foundationless. You can have foundationless systems in a langstroth hive. So any promotion of a TBH as more natural when your forcing comb to be drawn on straight bars, while denigrating Langstroth hives as "less natural" is a twist of truth at best.
You state you do not want to debate your stance, but again and again, you make claims and seemingly do not want to explain yourself beyond anecdotal comments. ANYONE coming here and giving such advice and casual observations, should expect others to question, offer rebuttals, and discuss such matters. If you can't do that on a forum, then it's just becomes a collection of "blogs".
TBH may or may not cause smaller cells or smaller bees. Normally the first comb is the same as they are accustomed to draw prior to dumping them in the TBH.
TBH are not magical in some resistance to disease or pest problems.
They use a foundationless system that could be used in ANY hive.
They are not more natural than any other hive.
People should consider TBHs for what they are. Interesting, fun, different, and easy to make if you can build them yourself. Any claim of "more natural", disease resistance, mite resistance, smaller bees, or anything else.....simply is not true.
I can show you many langstroth hives with foundationless systems that do far better than TBHs.