Subject: Re: overwintering double queen hives.

From: Bill Fernihough <[email-masked]>
Date: 22 Sep 1996 05:43:29 GMT

Reposting article removed by rogue canceller.

There is quite a science to two queen hives, and you might like to know 
that it is a situation often created on purpose for the cause of getting 
more honey.
Literature on the item suggests that you create a two queen colony in 
early spring, by keeping two colonies on the same base but with a solid 
board between them. Before the honey flow, the board is removed and 
replaced with a queen excluder, and the hives united via a piece of 
newspaper.
In theory, you end up with twice as many bees in one hive, so get lots 
more honey, and both queens are accepted.
There is an art to doing this correctly.

In any case, I never had much luck with it, get my quota of honey as it 
is.  But a suggestion might be to keep one queen excluder between them 
and see how that works out.  What did you plan to do with the second 
excluder?

In closing, I found myself with a two queen hive one day, and two 
entrances, top and bottom had been allowed, for some reason , a queen 
got into the top entrance, or was made there, and just did her thing 
along with the other queen below an excluder.

---

From: [email-masked] (Gerard Worrell)
Date: 24 Sep 1996 00:38:37 GMT

jim ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Hello.
: I have a weak hive (came from a late swarm) that I am going to combine
: with another hive. I have read that it is possible to have a hive with
: _two_ queens - provided that they are separated by 2 queen excluders.
: I would like to find out if :
: 	a:) anyone has had success with 2 queen hives (as far as their honey
: collection over the season goes. which for me it is obviously too late
: this year - perhaps next year...) 
: 	b:) anyone has overwintered such hives and if there is any benefit or
: detriment to such hives 

: Thanks,
:  Jim ([email-masked])

Jim,
The use of two queen excluders doesn't make sense. What you need is a
double screen to **Prevent the workers from passing queen pheremone back
and forth** That is essential. As long as the 2 sections are independent,
they can survive. The heat from the stronger LOWER colony (make sure it is
below) will help conserve the energy of the weaker colony. Also make sure
the upper colony has an entrance. A friend of mine had a nucleus colony
>from  an observation hive survive in this configuration and did extremely
well the following year. Have you requeened the weaker colony to make sure
you get a good strong group of bees to overwinter? Also feed with sugar
syrup to buid up the stores.
[my double screen is similar to a reduced entrance bottom board with two
large holes cut in the floor. Window screen on both sides provides for the
air/heat transfer but prevents bees from passing anything thru.

Gerard P.Worrell Beekeeper with 25 colonies
(410)257-3267  Dunkirk,MD USA
Pres. Assoc. of Southern MD Beekeepers
Life member MD State Beekeepers Association,VP for Calvert Co.