I've started using the two queen system, following Ron Brown's notes in
his book " A Simple Two Queen System".
 
To start the two colonies, Ron makes an on-site artificial swarm with the
queen on one frame of brood in the bottom box, plus two frames of food and
either frames of foundation or drawn comb to fill up. Over this box goes
the queen excluder and a super. Over the super goes a "two Queen board"
with the upper entrance pointing to the side, and finally on top of this
board goes the original brood box, with the frames all moved together
centrally, plus additonal frames of drawn comb or foundation to fill up
the box.
 
A queen excluder can be put on this and additonal supers placed above if
necessary.
 
Queen cells will be raised in the top box and in the course of time a new
queen is produced.
 
The special two queen board is a ventilated floor, plus a circular hole
 with a queen excluder permanently fastened over. A plain sheet of metal
is fixed by one corner, so that it covers the QX.    A wire is fixed to
this sheet so that , when pulled, it will move the metal sheet and uncover
the QX..
 
Normally the Qx is left covered, but when the top box has a laying queen
you can pull the wire to uncover the QX and so unite the workers.
 
You now have two queens with workers able to move freely between the two
colonies.
 
I'd like to understand if this is how other beekeepers operate the two
queens ?
 
If not then how ?
 
 
  
Chris Parker
Bath Beekeepers