> Nearly 30% of newly-installed queens die in the first 6 months."

Queens are the only product I buy that have an assumed "best case" 10% defect rate.

Not all seeds germinate, of course, but the seed producers pride themselves on providing at least a predictable consistent germination rate from batch to batch.

I've been pooh-poohed several times here when mentioning the broader queen performance and longevity issues, but Dave Tarpy has written enough papers about what he and his colleagues have eliminated as possible causes of this problem to make even this old news by now.

But even still, about the cheapest thing I can do to a hive is requeen.  Just about everything else costs more to a beekeeper who knows how to work out actual costs of doing things to his or her hives.

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