On Mon, 1 Apr 1996, BusyKnight wrote:
 
> That is the question.  Tis' nobler...etc., etc....
 
... to suffer the stings and arrows ...?
 
> I've been catching queens, marking them AND clipping
> wings for a few years now.  Just wondering if clipping
> wings is really an advantageous practice or not.  I
> know my *old* queens don't leave with the swarms.  They
> jus' kinda fly in circles.    ;^)
 
It certainly is in the UK where population density is high,
swarming unpopular, and weather variable. Clipping means she
*almost* can't get away and means we have a few extra days
grace before the first virgin.
 
Regards,
--
Gordon Scott   [log in to unmask]      [log in to unmask] (work)
The Basingstoke Beekeeper (newsletter)      [log in to unmask]
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Beekeeper; Kendo 3rd Dan; Sometime sailor.  Hampshire, England.