>>Net result is that we do wear them out quickly, and for most 
commercial honey producers here, annual replacement is a fact of life.

I've always wondered about the claimed need to replace queens 
annually...  Is this based on the claims of queen producers? ;o))

In my neck of the woods, most good queens will not show an 
appreciable decline for 2-3 years.  Perhaps in Austrialian conditions 
where flow conditions exist year round, queens exhaust themselves 
quicker?  Perhaps, as you suggest, a winter lull such as in the 
northern US, give queens a chance to recoup after a busy season?

You raise some interesting questions.  It would be nice to survey 
more Australian beekeepers about on this.

Waldemar
Long Island, NY

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