would it be sml cell

[bill]

If bees reject an old plastic foundation, and build their own beside it, will that comb be small cell? if so I would like to preserve it, and I will probably put it in a frame anyway. but if is small cell I could make it happen again, and in that way start a small cell  colony or nuc eventually.
I know I could try to measure it but for me that would be hard, so If it is going to be regular size I won't bother  thanx

[Michael Bush]

>If bees reject an old plastic foundation, and build their own beside it, will that comb be small cell?

If it's in the brood nest, it is likely to be smaller cell (unless it's drone).  It's probably about 5.1 to 5.2mm.  If it is in the supers, you can't ever tell what size they might build to store honey.

>but if is small cell I could make it happen again, and in that way start a small cell colony or nuc eventually.

Just put an empty frame in the brood nest between two frames of brood and they will draw some nice natural sized comb.  Then it will already be in the frame.

>I know I could try to measure it but for me that would be hard, so If it is going to be regular size I won't bother thanx

It's not hard to measure if you have a ruler that measures in metric:

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/47mmCombMeasurement.jpg

Just meaasure across 10 cells in cm and call it mm.

[bill]

well with that illustration I can manage it. So if I used a medium for honey and let them build their own comb, that would make a brood box after I removed the honey right. If that is so it is dead easy  thank you very much. ... I wil practice measureing reg, foundation till I can do it easy. Who knows I might even learn to deal with the metric system lol

[Michael Bush]

>well with that illustration I can manage it. So if I used a medium for honey and let them build their own comb, that would make a brood box after I removed the honey right.

Maybe.  They usually build smaller cells in the center of the brood nest than they build to store honey.  They often build larger worker celsl or really large drone cells for storage.

>If that is so it is dead easy thank you very much. ...

If you use measure the combs from the supers and they are smaller than your brood chamber then they may work fine for you.

I'm not sure I understand the "if I use a medium for honey" and then "that would make a brood box".  If you mean you could use medium frames in a medium box for brood.  Yes, you can.  What you can't do is mix up frame depths with any reliability of what they willd draw in the extra space if you put those mediums in a deep box.

>I wil practice measureing reg, foundation till I can do it easy. Who knows I might even learn to deal with the metric system lol

All you have to have to deal with the metric system is a metric ruler.  No conversions.  Just measure.

If you have a metric ruler, a metric measuring cup, a metric scale, a metric thermometer, all you have to do is read them.  :)

[bill]

Sorry micheal I think I read your post too quickly. I see now you said and empty comb in the middle of the brood nest and they would build smaller cells, but this is not true of honey supers. what I was thinking when I go over to medium hive boxes for brood that I could just let them build their own comb on top, and it would be small cell, sometimes when I get the ball I run the wrong way. I was thinking that would be a super way to get into sml cell and at the same time to change over to medium brood boxes..  I promise to criticly read your next post. and I meant about the metric system Is to have an idea in my head like I know how far a mile is and I can read kilometers on the speedometer but it really doesn't convey to me how fast I am going yet, some people just take a little longer, like a mule needs stronger signals than a horse to train

[Michael Bush]

>Sorry micheal I think I read your post too quickly. I see now you said and empty comb in the middle of the brood nest and they would build smaller cells

Yes.

>but this is not true of honey supers.

They MIGHT build smaller cells in the supers.  But they might not.

>what I was thinking when I go over to medium hive boxes for brood that I could just let them build their own comb on top, and it would be small cell, sometimes when I get the ball I run the wrong way.  

In the super with comb guides of some kind they will probably build some drone and some worker all at the higher end of natural all of wich will probably be smaller (except the drone of course) than standard foundation.  It probably will be a step in the right direction.  But they probably won't draw it as small as they do in the brood nest.  If you want to follow that plan, I'd put small cell foundation in the supers to encourage them to build smaller cells.