Kerry,
 
Your post confirms the effect that I have been experiencing.
Since I began this debate it appears that others have found
this too.  Do you know if Wyborn, M. had any further
publications from his/her M.Sc. thesis.  I have searched
BIDS literature bank with no joy
 
>    M. Wyborn. 1991. Mass Storage of Honey Bee Queens
During the Winter.
>    M.Sc. Thesis Simon Fraser University. Burnaby, B.C. 121
p. encountered
>    the problem of sequential addition of queens to a queen
bank. I don't
>    immediately see the discussion, but as I recall, queens
in the same
>    laying condition could be accepted by a bank, but when
any subsequent
>    "fresher" queens were added, most of the previous batch
of queens would
>    die within a few days.
>
>    The best results (60 % survival after 6 months, with
subsequent summer
>    performance the same as for queens wintered in 5 frame
nucs) obtained
>    were from outdoor bank colonies prepared from strong 2
queen colonies (3
>    std boxes in Sept, reduced to 2 in October), queens
removed 24 hr before
>    adding bank frames with up to 48 queens in cages 2.5 mm
mesh without
>    attendants. All Q cells removed 1 week after
introducing bank frames.
>
>
>    Kerry Clark, Apiculture Specialist
>    B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
>    1201 103 Ave
>    Dawson Creek B.C.
>         V1G 4J2  CANADA          Tel (250) 784-2231
fax (250) 784-2299
>    INTERNET [log in to unmask]