> Many beekeepers do not agree with the concept of the queens fighting it
> out when colonies are united  - the more desirable queen may not
> necessarily win. There is also the possibility of no survivor, or the
> survivor being seriously impaired by the fight. This could result in
> either an emergency queen being brought forward (with all of the
> negatives that this may cause), or the injured queen being superseded.
 
Personally, I don't think the laying queens fight it out when the excluder
is pulled.  That scenario just doesn't seem very realistic to me.  Too
Hollywood, I guess. I have seen more than one queen in a hive fairly
often.  And it looks as if they have both been there for a while.
Sometimes they walk over one another while you watch.
 
I think what actually happens at the end of the season is similar to what
happens in queen banks: the bees neglect one and she eventually just dies.
 Or else, when things get scarce and robbers are at the door, the bees get
defensive and one queen gets hassled.
 
Allen