Re: Hatching queen cells.

There really is no harm in having them hatch en route, if they are in some kind of cage or protector. The older they are when they leave, the better. I used to think like everybody else that cells were safer to introduce than virgins. Not so. They are much more convenient, because they are their own container. But a lot of folks use cell protectors. You can also pre-emerge them in cages. I learned this technique at the Dyce Lab. We emerged the cells in cages. That way, you are only introducing live healthy queens. I actually marked them, put them into introducing cages and into the ready nucs. Went without a hitch. Good acceptance and you can always be sure it's your queen because she was marked even before being mated. I can describe this process in greater detail if anyone has specific questions about it

Pete

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