Phil asks:  What would you say was the best two queen system?

Bob has replied fully, but not mentioned long hives, which are of course far
the easiest way to manage two queens. All u have to do is to divide the
brood and bees into two lots in spring, and insert a solid vertical divider
midway down the hive (and open the rear entrance).  U run the two parts
separately for a few weeks (as allen says, it is easier to mange two
completely separted lots than two lots one above the other sharing one
entrance). Then u combine by removing the divider just beforew the main
flow.

While separated the two lots rear more brood than if not separated,  but
store less honey.  When combined, the large amount of brood converts to one
large foraging force than is worn out on the main flow , after which the
colony is only normal size.  So what u are doing of course is invest the
spring flow in building a super-force for the later main flow.  This can
make sense in UK where the spring flow is rape (canola) and so a poorer
quality honey than the summer flow if that is say lime. Dividing and
reuniting is easier in a single long body than using two separate boxes as u
only have to bring up the divider - not a complete spare hive including
floor and roof.

This division , rearing a new queen and recombination also controls swarming
and also helps control  varroa since u can treat the two parts one after
another in latespring but at the stage when they have no sealed brood - so
any treatment such as sucrose octoanote that kills just phoretic mites will
be highly effective.

Of course there are disadvanages to long hives - for starters, u have to
overcome the conviction that the Langstroth is the finest of all possible
hives.  If however u are a migratory beekeeper, u will find a long hive
impossible to move single handed - which is why the Langstroth will survive
as long as large scale professional beekeeping does - but the Deep Long Hive
is being tried by more and more hobby beekeepers in UK.

Robin Dartington

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