Hi All,                                                                         
My first post to this list, thank you all for your interesting topics in the    
past. I raised my first batch of virgins yesterday using my friend's            
incubator. The problem I had was the delay in introducing the queens to mini    
nucs. I got tied up with swarms, helping old ladies etc and ended up putting    
the queens in about 8 pm last night. They hatched after lunch so were unfed     
for up to 6 or 7 hours.                                                         
I used some bees from a local swarm and made up the mini nucs before going      
to collect the virgins. About 1.5 hrs later I slipped them in to the closed     
mini nuc boxes, on checking this morning 8:00am the nucs are still roaring!     
I haven't released the bees yet.                                                
Any advice on what I am doing wrong and perhaps a better method.                
                                                                                
Regards                                                                         
                                                                                
Ken Black                                                                       
      -                 Ken Black                                               
       "  `             Bay Tree Cottage                                        
       "   `            76 East St, Fritwell                                    
   _- -_`-_|'\  /`      Bicester,                                               
 _/ / / -' `~()()       Oxfordshire, England. OX6 9QF                           
  \_\ _ /\-._/\/        00441869345725 Fax:00441869256678                       
       /   | |          email: [log in to unmask]                     
      '`   ^ ^