I've never ordered, or had my queens clipped before. I also understand the cons to them listed above. However I am reading up on my beekeeping books, trying to get a better general understanding, and in Miller's "50 years among the bees," the author talks about the need to clip queens. Not only for queen marking, but the necessity of doing so in out-apiaries in order to prevent swarming.
Now, I understand a clipped queen may not be accepted, but apparently beekeepers have been doing this for along time, over a hundred years ago it was accepted practice. How were they able to reduce supersedure rates but modern beekeepers weren't?
What advantages (other than supersedure rates) does marking have over clipping?
If clipping may prevent (or even foreshadow, as you can see the bees trying to swarm with a queen that doesn't fly so they return to the hive) swarming, why not do it? I understand that it won't stop them from swarming, but neither does not clipping. If you don't clip, they will swarm. If you do clip, they MAY swarm.
Or do I have a misunderstanding of the subject?