Double queen hives

[Surreybeekeeper]

Hi all,

I run a pretty active facebook page for beginner beekeepers, and an interesting photo was posted showing a double queen hive (as seen below)

Does anyone else run a hive in this fashion and does it really have an effect on honey production as they have been suggesting?

Interested in your thoughts

James

 

[oliver90owner]

Don't know how good they are suggesting, but don't you think it would be quite popular if the advantages were considerable?

I've seen quite a lot written on them but I get the impression that two good colonies will do as well and are a lot easier to operate. I daresay they have been tried many times before; cetainly not a new idea anyway.

RAB

 

[Surreybeekeeper]

Well that is what I figured Oliver. I couldn't quite work out the benefit because surely running two hives separately would be more easy and just as efficient (if not more so!)

Thought I would ask here to see what you all thought.

James

 

[Black Comb]

Try reading Ron Brown's book(let) "A Simple Two Queen System"

 

[Ely]

I'd have thought that method would be harder for the bees. That top super is a long way to climb with plenty of distractions!

 

[Finman]

.
It is old trick but more curiosity than habit. If we look at 50 years ago, normal hive was one brood and a super. + numerous swarms indluded.

Nowadays one queen makes so big hives that they are difficult to nurse. My friend bought last summer aluminium ladders that it is easier to handle hives.

If my hives are too small for main yield, I join then so that each tower is 6 boxes. It has capacity to handle rape flow.

2 hive system has one disadvantage, during main flow it would be advantage that the hive does not have laying queen, but now it has two.

I keep profilic queens, 3 brood boxes and no excluder. My hives are two big and I have planned 2-bottom system with one queen, that the towers would be lower. I am 65 y old and my back does not stand much lifting.

 

[drstitson]

ron brown method (i have a pdf summary if interested).

"2 hive system has one disadvantage, during main flow it would be advantage that the hive does not have laying queen, but now it has two." This is NOT the case with Ron brown method.

they idea is not to run 2 complete colonies for the full season ONLY in the build up to main flow.

do your AS when dandelions blooming. allow the stacked colonies to develop together. then, ahead of the main flow remove 1 (old) queen to a nuc. That way you have a double strength colony BUT only 1 quota of brood production.

Net result is more of the forage gets stored rather than used SO meant to give more honey than two similar colonies.

 

[Finman]

:

they idea is not to run 2 complete colonies for the full season ONLY in the build up to main flow.

Net result is more of the forage gets stored rather than used SO meant to give more honey than two similar colonies.

it does not go that way.

The strenght of brood rearing depends on the size of cluster. It does not help if you keep 2 queens in the hive.

On another hand many are anxious to split the hives in Spring and so they stop a good speed of build up.

When the hive has 2 box of new bees, then the queen is able to lay with full speed.
Ok- you add another queen. Then again you may get 4 box of brood. But the price is that the surplus foraging moves 6 weeks forward. First queen's foragers are conecten to feed second queen's


the build up of colony takes its own time. It is easier to make a big winter cluster than try to build a big colony in spring. And the big colony must be build during summer and not in September when the colony should prerare for winter.

Dritson, I have so much experience how the colony builds up that don't try.
And fast build up in Spring with mesh floor is one of the stupiest thing.
More stupid is to kep mesh floor in 5 frame nuc. Finger size hole is enough to nuc. To keep the whole bottom open is odd.

The beekeepers have more illusions than brains.
.

.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Try 'A Modern Bee-farm' by S. Simmins.
He describes the Double Conqueror hive which operates with two queens and allows for the worker force to be turned from one side to the other as desired.