>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