The thread "avoiding africanised queens" awoke an old question in me:

...say we have 2 hives with the same population and age-ratio (of brood to
nurse bees to foragers). A major honeyflow is coming up in a month.

Hive 1 is requeened wit a cell/virgin queen, hive 2 with a full laying adult
queen of the same "strain".

In hive 1, the age ratio in a month will shift towards having a lot of
foragers and a starting queen with a little brood. In hive 2, the age-ratio
in a month will be towards more nurse bees and brood as the adult queen will
have kept on laying.

Which one has the best population ratio to generate surplus honey during the
flow?

L

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