>Two cents more:
>
......
>
>Clipping does have the advantage of helping you to determine whether a
>queen has died (or left) and been replaced.  I'm not sure about the pro's
>and con's, supersedure-wise (i know some of the animal rights crowd have
>even expressed disdain for the practice of clipping!) but I'm quite sure I
>am too clumsy to make a regular practice of it without queen injury.  So
>it's never become part of management for me. Additional info on this topic
>would be interesting.  Anyone?
>
Hi Joel;
 
        In addition to our other information regarding clipping, in a
commercial operation the advantage of clipping each queen is that your
production levels of honey is maintained, this means that by placing a
clipped queen in each hive each year or each second year, a production hive
of 100,000 to 150,000 bees each hive, will return at least 150 lbs to 300
lbs of honey each hive in most years.
        A clipped queen in a 1000 to 2000 hive operation in Australia saves
much anguish and allows you to enjoy your beekeeping as you attempt to make
money. As most operations of this size are a migratory system, and follow
the honey flow through a number of States, over many miles each move. Using
mobile extraction plants.
Thanks from :
                        [log in to unmask]
                 http://www.eastend.com.au/~goble
            [log in to unmask] ( David Goble )
           American Beach Kangaroo Island South Australia