> Add to that the 21 day MIN downtime
>

Do I take it that "queenright supersedure" is not recognised in the US? 
It is a highly prized trait in the UK as the old queen and her daughter 
lay simultaneously for weeks or months before the old girl disappears.  
I have a colony currently that is exhibiting the trait and I remember 
Dave Cushman once told me that he has seen 3 generations of queens all 
laying together.  By culling queens after a season neither queenright 
supersedure nor longevity can be selected for.  It is said that 
longevity in queens is associated with longevity in workers and that's a 
profitable trait to have.  It means that a large workforce needs to 
support only a small nest, hence providing a greater surplus and easier 
management.  Selecting for such behaviours seems to be a philosophy that 
is limited to certain UK beekeepers as I never hear any reference to 
them anywhere else.

Steve Rose.  N. Wales

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