Dave Cushman writes:
I have sometimes wondered, but never seen any direct proof
that in late queenright supersedure the younger of the two
queens lays drones (or a large proportion of drones) and it
is these that are the ones found in winter clusters. They
would certainly be a few left early the next season, but I
also am unsure of how viable such over wintered drones
would be.


Reply:
In our area of S. Arizona for years (Grandpa, Dad, and now
us) raised queens and have done splits/divides late in the
fall on the downswing of late flows. Nothing wrong with it
and it sure makes for good hives come following  spring. We
don't worry if the queens get mated or even go into drone
laying, for they will go out again if need be (have seen
this in our bee yards.). Always have and always will. Yards
that appear to be a mess after late splitting, always seem
to straighten them selves out by the end of the first moon
cycle in spring 30 days following.

But something to consider here which many beekeepers don't.
There are short lived honeybees of the active beekeeping
year (6 weeks ave more or less), and then there are the
long lived bees of wintering over (4-6 months or more).
Bees therefore have to mature faster for the active year
and yet mature longer for the winter season, yet where is
the research on it? Yet the drones produced late here in
Nov/Dec seem fine in Feb; same for virgin queens which we
like to work with for mating over winter as we like to
requeen when we do it, starting in NOv for late fall, and
then start up early Feb in the spring.

Regards,

Dee A. Lusby
Small Cell Commercial Beekeeper
Moyza, Arizona
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/organicbeekeepers/






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