Two queens divided by a QE

[Etton]

Can’t find the queen. She may or may not be in the hive. Three QC’s one sealed and 2 open. Have destroyed the two and left the sealed one. If supercedure I could just let them get on with it but still a risk of swarming, so I have left the QC in the bottom BB with QE above. Pretty sure if there is an existing Q it is in the second BB above QE and 2 supers.
My question is if a new Q emerges from the QC and there is a Q above what could happen? Could they exist side be side divided by a QE? ( I’m aware drones could be trapped)

 

[enrico]

Never tried it but I doubt it would be too successful. Mixed messages and all that!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

often run colonies with two queens, never had a problem, It's a doddle dispatching one queen at the end of the season - no need for a newspaper unite or shenanigans with an aerosol.

 

[Etton]

Do you run them with a queen excluder?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Do you run them with a queen excluder?

yes

 

[Erichalfbee]

often run colonies with two queens, never had a problem, It's a doddle dispatching one queen at the end of the season - no need for a newspaper unite or shenanigans with an aerosol.

Supers in between though?

 

[Etton]

yes

and an upper entrance for the drones?

 

[Angularity]

I once, in one of the strokes of genius for which I am well known, united two colonies by suspending the newspaper on a queen excluder. The Q- part of the colony built seven emergency cells, while the Q+ part carried on life as normal.

Which implies to me that it is perfectly possible for two queens to co-exist separated by a QE. Each queen 'governs' the area she walks on, rather than filling the entire space of the hive.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I have had the odd queen mate in the top part of a demaree although it's not my usual practice - leave one queencell, put in a top entrance so the drones and queen can fly. Once the queen has mated and is laying, the top brood box is lifted off and put on a floor and you have a nucleus colony; the flyers return to the parent colony.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Supers in between though?

and an upper entrance for the drones?

Yes - but not always, had one this year where the upper entrance had been removed post Demarree (and before the top queen had started laying) where the top brood ended up near to the bottom brood box and with brood almost down to the QX

 

[E&MBees]

I know it’s a silly question, but, to make an upper entrance do you use a crown board (without the central holes) that has had a section of the edging strip removed? Is it positioned below the top brood box, but above the qx that separates the two brood boxes?

Thanks.

 

[drdrday]

I know it’s a silly question, but, to make an upper entrance do you use a crown board (without the central holes) that has had a section of the edging strip removed? Is it positioned below the top brood box, but above the qx that separates the two brood boxes?

Thanks.

I had the same thought a couple of months ago. Haven't actually needed an upper entrance yet, but I like to be prepared
I don't know what others do, but I've literally just drilled a hole in the side of each of my ekes, just the right size to keep plugged up with a cork or rubber bung unless or until I need to use it.

 

[AndyTh]

Had one this year on a demaree where I left the top bbox over an excluder but with no top entrance. The virgin had hatched, slipped out through the excluder, flown and mated successfully, returning back up through the excluder to start laying. She is very dark and large now in full lay. Unintentional, but 2 Queen colony. I won't neglect the top entrance in future though.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I know it’s a silly question, but, to make an upper entrance do you use a crown board (without the central holes) that has had a section of the edging strip removed? Is it positioned below the top brood box, but above the qx that separates the two brood boxes?

Thanks.

Or you can just make a thin (10mm) eke with an entrance cut into it and place over a QX if desired

 

[Erichalfbee]

Or a QX with a slot cut out of the rim

 

[E&MBees]

View attachment 18442

View attachment 18443

Or you can just make a thin (10mm) eke with an entrance cut into it and place over a QX if desired

Thanks for the photos. I will make one in preparation for next year. Where did you get the qx mesh from?

 

[enrico]

Cut up a metal Or plastic queen excluder
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or a QX with a slot cut out of the rim

Fine if you're on top beespace, but with BBS, the entrance ends up on the wrong side

 

[Erichalfbee]

Fine if you're on top beespace, but with BBS, the entrance ends up on the wrong side

Ah yes.
I have a QX with bee space and entrances each side for Bailey changes.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Cut up a metal Or plastic queen excluder
E

I find the metal ones sit better and just need a couple of staples to hold it in place