<A few years ago we used to make spring splits by simply ensuring that
<both of two Langstroth brood chambers had young brood and eggs, and then
<we would place two new floors side by side directly in front of the
<original stand and put one of the boxes on each, add a lid, and go away.
<Bees would divide equally between the two stands, a queen would be
<reared, and we would add another BC to each and super normally.
 
<Over 85% of the time a new queen would appear in 21 days in the half
<with the new queen.  It would usually more than make up for lost time and
<overtake the half with the original queen by honey flow in July.
 
<On describing the process to other commercial beekeepers, we found they
<were horrified and that they did not believe that an 'emergency' queen
<would be of good quality.  Their explanations were somewhat less that
<convincing though.
 
I personnally have seen a much higher percentage of bad or poor queens in
emergency queens than in queens from selected and tested breeders.  Two factors
make a good queen:  good genetics and good rearing conditions.
 
Concerning the rearing conditions, the age of the larvae sure could be a
problem.  Queen from larvae exceding 36 hours old have fewer ovarioles and a
lower laying capability.  This is mathematical.  But I admit that in good areas
and in good conditions even emergency queens can develop fairly strong colonies
that will produce an acceptable crop.  I recognize that the quality of the queen
is not the number one factor in honey production.  I think that where the
colonies are and what the weather conditions are constitute the primary factors.
 
Genetics is the most important factor for the quality of the queen.  Many
beekeepers do not believe that genetics is important for bees. I often heard
that a queen is just worth another queen.  Bees are living creature and all
living creature are deeply sculptured by genetics.  A colony of bees differs as
much from another colony as you differ from your neighbour.  But with bees the
differences are not as apparent four our eyes.  Close and continuous observation
of individuals colonies (taking into account the parental relationships) shows
important differences.  These differences show up more when observations are
concentrated on specific traits, when quantified objective evaluations are made
and when the figures are analysed.  Bee breeders are not always doing a good
job.  In such a case I admit that there is not much difference between an
emergency queen raised during a good sring flow and a queen raised by a queen
producer with no selection program and/or no progeny testing.  That last point
is very important.  Raising queens  from a good mother from a good lineage does
not quarantee that the daughters will be good.  An experienced and conciencious
breeder will test the progeny of his prospective breeders before he puts them
into commercial production.  Not all the queens transmit the desirable traits to
their progeny with a high enough degree of reliability.
 
Here again I recognize that the queen is not the first factor in honey
production.  But if you put in the same yard colonies headed by emergency queens
and colonies headed by queens from selected and tested breeders, the differences
will clearly show up...  provided the selection has been made essentially on the
honey harvesting capability and not only on the laying capacity.
 
Jean-Pierre Chapleau
commercial queen breeder
St-Adrien, Quebec, Canada
(819) 828-3396
73642.244.compuserve.com (this address will change pretty soon, but I will
remain on this list)