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    This is a good point, a lot would depend on how reliable your local
climate is. I wouldn't want a lot of needless brood either, the bees probably
wouldn't survive the British climate without feeding. That's not to say that
you can't find two queens in a hive at times in the UK though.

<<The story of the queens  brought to a meeting years ago in an observation
hive has certainly grown as  the original story I heard was two queens. My
experience with queens is if you put two together they fight. I have found
two in the same hive both laying but when I put them together they fought. I
quickly separated the two but still they fought. Hmmm.    As a person which
raises queens I have never seen a  queen hatch first and not try to kill all
the other queens which have not hatched yet.  In my opinion two queens
working side by side is putting human characteristics on insects. Very
unnatural but agree although rare can  happen but not normal bee behavior.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison>>

    A commercial beekeeper in Scotland who is on the Irish List reports
finding this regularly, with two marked queens being found still together, if
I remember right, up to a year after the younger was introduced. Beowulf
Cooper reported it in some strains of A.m.m. ('supersedure strains'), and
published photos of mother and daughter queens together on a comb in his
book. This is probably an insurance against mating failures in an
unfavourable climate.


Regards,

Robert Brenchley

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Birmingham, UK.