Two Queen hives

[bernie]

I'm thinking of using two queens per hive this spring, one hive body on the bottom, one hive body on the top, and medium honey supers between.  I know Mr. Bush is not high on this idea, but does anyone else have opinions, advise, or history?  Thanks. 

[Jerrymac]

Why not two hives? What do you hope to gain?

[thegolfpsycho]

Two queen hives are a lot of work.  They can make big crops, but you face increased swarm issues, boxes stacked to the troposphere (which depending on configuration you may have to handle over and over).  and when the colony is in a bad mood, there are an awful lot of angry bees in the air.  Can be intimidating for the inexperienced. 

If done properly, it can be a lot of fun, and very productive.  If you don't have time to manage them, they can become a swarm engine and do little more than anger your neighbors.

[Kirk-o]

I have a hard time just with one queen
kirk-o

[Michael Bush]

I think its a fun experiment that involves a lot of work.  I think everyone should try it once.  :)

http://www.bushfarms.com/beestwoqueenhive.htm

After accidentally  having one last year, I may see if I can reproduce the same system with as little work this year.  :)

How about putting an excluder over the brood nest and introducing a queen cell about to emerge in the top and let some of them end up two queen hives and some just get requeened and don't even try to figure out which are which until harvest time.  :)

[Kathyp]

i had more than one queen in the hive last year.  they did really well...but it was an accident, not a plan.

if you do this, don't you risk double the loss if something goes wrong with the hive?  would they have a better chance of surviving with two, or would you just lose the whole thing?  i also wondered if the size would be an issue?

[Understudy]

Doesn't one queen kill the other unless it is say a supercedure?

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Michael Bush]

>Doesn't one queen kill the other unless it is say a supercedure?

Not if she can't get to the other queen. :)  Supercedure queens often don't kill their mother.  She just disappears in the fall.

[Finsky]

One queen in 2-box hive is enough. What is the purpose?

Queen or queens are able to lay as much as nurser bees may nurse brood.

There is odd controversy in beekeeping. Some want restrict the brood area into one box. Some want to keep 2 queens in 2 boxes.  I keep good queen in 3 brood box. - And all are so sure with their doings.

It makes sence if queens are so bad that one is not able to lay enough for healty forager. But good queen makes so big hive that there are difficulties to nurse the tower.

[TwT]

I haven't seen 2 queens in any of my hives but I did a removal 2 year's ago and found 2 queens, on the link there is a picture of a 2 queen hive....

http://www.gabeekeeping.com/

[Finsky]

I haven't seen 2 queens in any of my hives but I did a removal 2 year's ago and found 2 queens, on the link there is a picture of a 2 queen hive....

http://www.gabeekeeping.com/

it needs exluder between queens, and that one problem.

[Mici]

dear lord, is it just me, or are they both laying eggs????

[Kirk-o]

One queen is enough for me
kirk-o

[bernie]

Thanks to everyone for their input.  Since I'm retired and beekeeping is my primary hobby, the additional work is not significant to me since I have plenty of time.  I have the opportunity to place four hives in a stand of Sour Wood so I want to maximize the honey production.  As well, those four hives are due for re-queening this year.  Plus, running two queens seems like a good way to prevent swarming.  Maximize honey, prevent swarming, introducing a new queen, combining after the flow into a strong hive for the winter.  That's my thinking.  Maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew.  Thanks.

[TwT]

dont get me wrong but that is not a man made 2 queen hive, that was a hive that is superseding the older queen..........

[Finsky]

dont get me wrong but that is not a man made 2 queen hive, that was a hive that is  supersedingthe older queen..........

Please professor,don't mix our heads. It is so diffucul without superseding issue. Nothing to do with that.