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Date: | Tue, 7 Apr 2009 10:23:20 -0700 |
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>>The one thing I recall was how easy the wintering was compared to after
>>going to single queens.
>
> Allen, could you please elaborate?
My language may have been confusing (ambiguous) there. Sorry.
Two queen colonies have greater populations going into winter, have more
power to arrange the stores, etc., more warmth, more everything. The same
effect can be achieved by doubling up colonies. The chance of winter queen
loss or undetected fall queen loss is halved (approximately) and that is
typically around 10% to 15% in single queen colonies, averaged over numbers
and time during the long winters in the north.
Wrapping's main benefit is moderating the environmental effects so that
marginal colonies can survive and thrive. (That is why it is most important
in late winter and spring). Double colonies are much less likely to be
marginal, and more likely to have young queens, so they can usually winter
well without the insurance provided by wraps.
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