Efecto del uso de dos reinas en la población, peso, producción de miel y rentabilidad de colonias de abejas (Apis mellifera L.) en el altiplano Mexicano

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a two-queen/beehive management system on colony population, honey production, and profitability. Ninety two experimental colonies (46 colonies with one queen and 46 with two queens) were established in the Mexican high plateau region. The following variables were estimated: honey yields, cost per kilogram of honey produced, bee populations, and beehive weights. Colonies with two queens yielded 101.2 % more honey than colonies with one single queen (53.2 ± 2.4 vs 26.4 ± 1.8 kg, P 70 %) correlations were found between population, colony weight, and honey production (P<0.01). Hive weight was the best predictor of honey production (r= 0.94, P<0.01). The best results were obtained with the two-queen system. Therefore, two queens per colony are recommended. Also, weighing the hive during early bloom is recommended as a technique to predict honey yields for either research, or genetic breeding purposes.