> Add to that the 21 day MIN downtime
>
Do I take it that "queenright supersedure" is not recognised in the US?
It is a highly prized trait in the UK as the old queen and her daughter
lay simultaneously for weeks or months before the old girl disappears.
I have a colony currently that is exhibiting the trait and I remember
Dave Cushman once told me that he has seen 3 generations of queens all
laying together. By culling queens after a season neither queenright
supersedure nor longevity can be selected for. It is said that
longevity in queens is associated with longevity in workers and that's a
profitable trait to have. It means that a large workforce needs to
support only a small nest, hence providing a greater surplus and easier
management. Selecting for such behaviours seems to be a philosophy that
is limited to certain UK beekeepers as I never hear any reference to
them anywhere else.
Steve Rose. N. Wales
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