First experiment starts this way:
"The establishment of a two-queen colony is based on the harmonious existence of two queens in a colony unit. Any system that ensures egg production of two queens in a single colony for about 2 months before the honey flow will boost honey production (Moeller 1956).
2 months before main flow that is true
year 1954 ALARM! What was the quality of queens in thoise days. Nothing to do with modern bees.
Don't speak about Brother Adam. He started beekeeping 100 y ago.
I have accelerated 20 years spring build up with protein feeding.
1) First stage in build up in my climate is that after winter minimum factor is lack of nurser bees.
2) In next stage - after 3 weeks, new bees emerge and the colony have enough feeder bees.
3) There are 2 generations of new bees in the hive and winterbees have died.
in some stage the amount of cluster is minimum factor. With electrict heating + patty I have got 3 fold build up before summer.
The laying capacity is not a minimum factor in May (my climate) May is importrant because then layed bees are the foragers of main yield in July.
Minimum factor is size of colony
I may put 4 queens into the hive but it has no bees to nurse more brood.
Winter bees die, a box is full of fresh bees, box is full capped brood.
After that happens an explosion in the hive. I must add every week one box more. It is beginning of summer then.
When the hive has 4 boxes, the queen uses 2 boxes for laying. The difference of queens is clearly seen, but one box hive can have only one box brood and two box hive can have 2 box brood.
If I now add more layers, brood have not enough time to become foragers.
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That above happends to the best hives.
If the winter cluster has been small, the colony developes more or less slowly.
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