VIRGINS
If your waiting for you queen cell to hatch you will wait 16 days.
Waiting for her to leave home and mate , 5-7days.
We have waited over a month at times ,
depending on the weather ,
and I think they take their time in a small nuc
as compared to a large colonie.
you can bee kept waiting and waiting...
Virgins when they hatch are a not as long and plump as later,
after they are mated and begin laying eggs they build up..
They also move around more quickly... nervous.
When the virgin queen emerges from her cell,
she is like the mafia cleaning house.
We had a virgin returning from her mating flight,
go into the wrong box.Our Breeder Box .
Every queen cell was torn down,
no eggs to be found any were.
We once had an old queen and young queen
live to gether in the same box for a short while,
but only once.
This year we saw a queen return from her mating flight,
with the peckers still in her.
...interesting
The drones (males) die after mating with her.
They mate in flight.
As well as keeping you waiting,
these virgins can be very difficult to find .
We find especially the black ones like to hide.
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