Hi Bob & all

Bob Harrison said...
> In my opinion two queens working side by side
> is putting human characteristics on insects.

It is neither rare nor un-natural... In my part of the UK it happens to many
colonies without the beekeeper even being aware of it.

Certainly among the colonies that I have kept during the last 20 years it
has occured in about 75% of them.

I have seen two queens walk past each other in oposite drections, but within
touching distance. Neither of these queens paid the slightest attention to
the other.

On many occasions two queens will be found within 50 mm of each other on the
same comb working on laying up the same patch of empty cells.

Adrian Waring (previously secretaryof BBKA) has many hundreds of
photographic slides of similar occurances.

It is a feature that goes along with AMM strains and seems to have close
linkeage with bees that have longer flying lives.

Best Regards & 73s... Dave Cushman, G8MZY
Beekeeping & Bee Breeding Website...
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman