The Two-Queen Method: Intensifying Honey Production
The two-queen method (dual-queen system) is one of the most advanced and efficient technologies in modern beekeeping, aimed at overcoming the biological limitation of a single queen’s productivity. In the classical model, one queen is unable to lay a sufficient number of eggs to create a colony strong enough to fully exploit sudden and abundant nectar flows. The use of an auxiliary queen allows for the accumulation of a huge number of forager bees, which translates into a 35–45% increase in honey production, and under favorable conditions, even a doubling of harvests compared to traditional methods.
Biological and Economic Foundations of the Method
The basis of dual-queen systems lies in the phenomenon of polygyny, which originally occurred in the ancestors of the honey bee and is still sometimes observed during a supersedure, when the old and young queens coexist in one nest.
Key economic benefits:
- Rapid workforce growth: Two queens working in parallel produce significantly more brood, allowing the colony to reach “biological maturity” much faster.
- Anti-swarming effect: Intensive feeding of a large amount of brood diverts bees from the swarming impulse, focusing their energy on work.
- Better wintering: Dual-queen colonies, thanks to mutual heating through the partition, consume less food and emerge from winter in much better condition.
- Natural queen rotation: The system forces the annual replacement of queens with young ones, maintaining high fecundity and colony health in the apiary.
Implementing the Method
The choice of technique depends on the type of hive available. Instructions for the two most popular systems are presented below.
1. Method in Horizontal Hives (the so-called “Pocket” Method)
In horizontal hives (e.g., 24-frame), the auxiliary queen is kept in a separated part of the hive, using an additional entrance.
- When: Work begins in autumn or early spring.
- Step 1: Separate a side compartment of the hive (for 3–4 frames) with a solid plywood partition.
- Step 2: Place a small colony with a fertile auxiliary queen there.
- Step 3 (Spring): As both colonies grow, transfer frames with mature (capped) brood from the auxiliary queen to the main colony, and in their place provide frames with open brood or empty comb. This stimulates both queens to intensive egg-laying.
- Step 4 (Before the main nectar flow): Remove the old queen (or move her to a nucleus), take out the partition, and unite both colonies into one.
2. Method in Multi-Story Hives (Vertical)
This is the most efficient method for the beekeeper, allowing for full mechanization of work.
- When: When the main colony occupies 10–12 frames in the brood chamber.
- Step 1: Place a second story with empty comb and foundation above the brood chamber, separating it with a queen excluder.
- Step 2 (Creating a nucleus): Above the main colony, place a solid, horizontal partition (e.g., plywood, double screen) with an entrance facing the opposite direction to the main one.
- Step 3: In the upper story, establish a nucleus with a young queen or a mature queen cell.
- Step 4 (Uniting): Just before the main nectar flow (e.g., buckwheat, linden), remove the old queen from the bottom. Place a sheet of newspaper with small holes on the lower brood chamber and place the story with the auxiliary queen on top. The bee scents will equalize, and the bees will chew through the newspaper, creating one giant colony.
Action Strategy: What, When, and Why?
| Timing | Action | Goal / Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Early spring | Contracting nests and intensive insulation | Ensuring stable temperature for brood development with less energy expenditure |
| Orchard bloom | Forming nuclei with auxiliary queens | Utilizing the energy of young bees for nest building and rearing a new generation of foragers |
| 30-40 days before flow | Maximizing stimulation of egg-laying for both queens | Rearing bees that will be at peak performance at the moment of honey plant flowering |
| Start of nectar flow | Uniting colonies | Concentrating the efforts of all bees solely on nectar collection instead of brood rearing |
Tips and Hints for the Method:
- Newspaper principle: Uniting colonies via newspaper is the safest way to avoid fights between bees.
- Distance of auxiliary queen: In the vertical system, the distance between stories should be about 30 mm (separated by a frame with an excluder) to avoid aggression.
- Water access: A nucleus separated by a solid partition must have ensured access to water (an internal waterer inside the hive), as the flying bees return to the old entrance.
- Queen replacement: Uniting colonies before the flow allows for keeping the younger, more valuable queen, eliminating the problem of swarming in “old” colonies.
- Caution with early flows: This method is ineffective if the main nectar flow (e.g., rapeseed) occurs very early – the auxiliary colony will not have time to develop sufficiently then.
In summary, the two-queen method is a technique for beekeepers aiming to maximize profits through intensification of breeding, but it requires precise planning of the apiary work calendar.