> The point Kirk made about timing factors in most of the time. A mated 
> queen speeds up the process

It can, assuming 1.) the beekeeper is skilled in introductions and assuming 
2.) the new queen gets laying right away, and assuming 3.) the new queen is 
good in the first place, handled OK in shipping, and not superceded as soon 
as the beekeeper turns his back.  We assume a lot.

In many case, in the right hands, these are safe assumptions, however, I 
have seen the pitfalls too often, and queens cost $20 here in Canada, plus 
they have a long trip to get here oftentimes...

> plus when bees return to the Midwest from almonds we  can not raise our 
> own queens or even use cells as we do not have mature
> drones.

Then the walk-away technique is out of the question.  Why even consider it? 
The fact that people even consider at at times when they should not adds to 
it's undeservedly bad rep.

> Walkaways are a bit of a gamble as are cells at times but most 
> professional beekeepers have experimented with walkaways. Another tool for 
> the beekeeper tool chest.

Yes, and use them fairly often, but don't give the technique much respect. 
If the truth be known, the bees raise most of the queens in commercial hives 
behind the beekeeper's back.  <Allen is ducking and running :)>

> I will say that only using walkaway splits will *in my opinion* set bad 
> traits in your bees. Some of the most aggressive bees I have worked years 
> ago came from beekeepers using walkaway splits year after year.

That can happen, since walk-away tends to be a selection technique, and not 
one that takes the sensibilities of the beekeeper or his neighbours into 
account <G>.  Depending on the original stock and other factors in 
management, the results can be unpredictable, except that you will get bees 
that build up to splitting size, requeen themselves well, and survive to the 
next split.  Obviously some selection would be a good idea from time to 
time, such as encouraging drone rearing in attractive and productive 
colonies, and eliminating unbearable colonies, and bringing in some new 
stock.  We all do that.  Beekeepers can never be stopped from bringing in a 
new queen from somewhere distant.  It is a given.

Additionally, many of us who do use walk-away techniques will insert cells 
we raise or beg, or queens when we have them, but do not worry when we do 
not.

> When you raise your own queens from a chosen breeder or buy queens/cells 
> from a chosen breeder queen you will *in my opinion* end up with better 
> yards of bees in all aspects.

Yeah, but you are stacking the deck here.  Most beekeepers are victim to 
what they can get a lot of the time, and only kid themselves that they are 
getting something decent the rest of the time, after the queens have been 
raised en-masse by hired help, banked, shipped in hot conditions, and held 
pending intro.

As pros, influential writers, and volume purchasers, we have some purchasing 
power, leverage with the shipper, and some idea of who is hot and who is 
not, but most beekeepers take what they can get and say, "Thank You!". 

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