>Bonjour a` tous ! Hi Bee-lovers !
>
>On Thu, 30 Nov 1995  Ian Stuart McLean <[log in to unmask]> wrote :
>
>> What you say is probably true but Supercedure is also an inheritable trait.
>> Here in the UK the British Isles Bee Breeders Association (BIBBA), who
 
>Generally, the bees let the old queen in the cluster till the young is
>laying eggs : it's not rare to see the 2 queens laying together.
>
>In my mind, it's a lethal character for the wild(or feral) bees but
>very interesting for the beekeeper who know and use it in their
>beekeeping.  This colonies are not easy to multiply and some works
>have been published in the '50s, but it seems to me, only in french.
 
BIBBA have published several books and articles on Supercedure queens they
are listed at:-
http://www.millhouse.co.uk/bibba/
 
Supercedure does not equate, necessarily to inferior stock. Here in
Northern England, the weather is normally stop/ go for the bees. Colonies
with prolific queens produce a lot and then eat it all when the weather
turns bad. A good supercedure queen seems to produce long lived bees
which produce a good crop from a moderately sized brood nest. Management
is much easier. Good colonies frequently produce very few queen cells. In
order to multply the trait you have to use more swarmy stock to raise
your cells, then requeen.
 
Swarmy bees are easy to obtain the phone never stops ringing in June.
 
[log in to unmask]  - Northern Regional Bee Inspector, UK -  Bee Curious
phone/fax 01704 822831
snailmail 'Asland' Flash Lane, Rufford, Ormskirk, Lancs, L40 1SW  - UK.