In message <[log in to unmask]>, Dee 
Lusby <[log in to unmask]> writes
>Exactly, clipping prevents her from flying off with a swarm
>to leave the new supercedure queen to take over.


That's not supercedure. That is swarming. And clipping wings merely 
delays it and in the end she will go anyway and either get lost in the 
grass or end up on a nearby weed, even a pancake on the ground.

True supercedure, the orderly replacement of the mother with her 
daughter is completely unaffected by clipping. Supercedure rarely (but 
not absolutely always) does not result in the departure of a swarm.

I clip and mark ALL our queens the spring after their birth so last 
summers queens all get marked in April this year.

Organic rules are things with complex origins however, and are a mix of 
practical ideas, animal rights, and lifestyle statements. I have had 
in-depth conversations with a senior figure in this field (chair of the 
comittee of the Soil Association that devised these rules) and found 
that far from having closed minds they are open to realistic 
suggestions.

Some of the things written elsewhere have been erroneous interpretations 
of what is in the rules, and even more particularly, how they are 
interpreted by the bodies concerned. It CAN be done in the UK and no 
doubt in the US, but not just anywhere. Sorry, if your bees are a a 
conventional agriculture area *at production time* it cannot be done.

-- 
Murray McGregor

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---