>When making splits with brood and eggs and letting the bees raise their own
>queens I have observed that different colonies build queen cells
>differently.  Some start immediately, some wait for a day or more before
>starting cells.  Some have cells with nearly the same aged larvae, others
>have cells with a range of larval age.  The cell sizes, and placement on
the
>comb are variable within a colony and between colonies.  Some build one or
>two large cells, others build a few large cells and the rest are what I
call
>emergency cells.  Some build only small cells.  A few don't build cells at
>all or only cell cups.

This may be the core to why there is even a argument. The genetics of the
two sample groups, could be causing the different results for the different
beekeepers.

If I have a large operation, and within that a large but stable gene pool,
and begin a practice, then I am going to select for traits that improve the
survival rate when pressured by that practice.

If I do walk away splits, then requeen failure, I will be selecting for the
traits that favor starting a queen from a young larvae or egg. Colonies that
do not have the trait will be removed from the gene pool when it is
requeened.

This of course requires that I have some bees with the right traits to start
with. If my gene pool has only "3 day larvae" genes then I can never raise
good emergency queens from my existing stock (baring mutation).

Make sense?

Hope to seem some of you all at EAS.