Hello All,
I really do not want to get too deeply involved in the walk away split
discussion and do agree with Allen walk away splits are another tool for
beekeepers.

My 2 cents worth:

Pros:
1. cheap with no queens to buy

2. easy for as Allen says the lazy

3.Will work but can be problematic ( my own experience first hand at times).

4. Possibly better queens than on the market

Cons:
( 1. & 4) I love the queens I buy ( but there are certain queen producers I
will not buy from ). I feel the new queen once installed from these queen
producers makes me money. In fact in a year I spend twice as much as for a
new queen on syrup. pollen patties and meds.

New commercial beekeepers never seem to realize the amount of money it takes 
to run a commercial operation. Getting the hives is a minor first step.

2. In my opinion both walk away splits and cells rank below mated queens in
what I prefer. I only move to cells & walk away when cost is a factor. The
only time cells will work for me is in early spring in east Texas. Timing in
Missouri does not allow for cells.

I think Kirk Jones explains best when he said he raises and sells cells to 
the other beekeepers but uses only mated queens in his thousands of hives. 
*if* he does not produce enough mated  queens I am sure he moves to cells. 
If mated queens and cells are not available than walk away splits are 
certainly an option.

However your control over genetics in my area goes away when I quite putting 
the genetics I want in my hives. Instead of uniform hives with prolific 
queens I get yards in which a handful of hives produce all the honey.

I discovered ( maybe the hard way ) you need to spend money to make money. 
Take few chances with your bees and always be ready with a plan B or C. if 
problems arise.


4. I hear about poor queens quite a bit. Mostly from hobby beekeepers (when
really I would guess PPB is at work). Going back a decade of my records i
have only had maybe several  batches of poor queens.
ALL but one came from small breeders. Going back 20 years I have never
received a batch of poor Italian queens.

** One of the most important queen issues I ever researched and never
published regards queen supercedure. The bees want to supercede queens from
certain queen producers. Some at almost a 50% rate. I never understood why 
but certainly discovered it happens.

Right now I use a
cordovan Italian and an Australian Italian line. I can walk in a yard and
tell this time of year which hive has replaced its queen with the cordovan 
line. same with the
Australian line ( but a bit harder to the untrained eye but Terry Brown (
Browns Bees Australia ) and I can.

Hybrid vigor happens when these lines cross but the first year I keep the 
cordovan Italian & Australian lines in separate yards.

Queen supercedure costs me big bucks in loss of production ( mainly do to 
the time it takes for the bees to put a replacement queen in the hive)  plus 
I possibly
change the genetics if the queens mate with mongrel Carniolans or Russian
queens! ( I added as a joke He He).

bob

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