Hello John and All,

Well, I can't tell if any of these refer to me, but, for future reference, let
me say that sometimes I don't check my email more than weekly. Being retired
is keeping me busy.  ;-))
   -
Nope! You have always tried to help with information.  Bee-L is lucky to have a retired USDA person  on the list. I retired in 1998 myself but still spend plenty of time  with beekeeping.
I have just finished reading all the posts done since my power and phone went out last Wednesday and would say to many on the list that myself and my  friends work bees vary fast. Although we spend a great deal of time looking at bees we might miss many of the  things Dee Lusby talks of seeing. 
I will say I see multiple queens advantages only when building for a honey flow. We combine two queen hives as  soon as the second queens workers will not be of the right age to add to the honey crop. Why would you want  several queens raising needless  brood? I see thelytoky as a curious and rare happening  but of little use to me and the methods I use to keep bees and produce honey. I certainly would not breed for thelytoky but others can if they want too.
The story of the queens  brought to a meeting years ago in an observation hive has certainly grown as  the original story I heard was two queens. My experience with queens is if you put two together they fight. I have found two in the same hive both laying but when I put them together they fought. I quickly separated the two but still they fought. Hmmm.    As a person which raises queens I have never seen a  queen hatch first and not try to kill all the other queens which have not hatched yet.  In my opinion two queens working side by side is putting human characteristics on insects. Very unnatural but agree although rare can  happen but not normal bee behavior.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison