> One in each colony and all checked for a hatched cell, in some but
> not all have seen the virgin.

Wondering how long since the cells were inserted?  In small nucs, vergins
are easy to spot, but in larger units, they can be very hard to find,
especially if they have gone on a flight.   We (almost) always wait 11 days
to check for laying, but do occasional spot checks for emergence (look at
the queen cell) at times of day when queens won't be flying.  We usually
wait 21 before caging them, and assume that any that are not laying well by
then are duds.  By 21 days, pattern and anomalies are apparent, and the new
brood keeps the nuc going.

Queen checks for new virgins can cause problems, unless carefully considered
as to necessity and timing.  Especially in mid-afternoon when the queens are
flying, a beekeeper and/or truck and gear in front of or near hives can
cause drifting and/or loss of returning queens.  I recall seeing seeing
numerous little balls of bees, each with a queen in the middle, in the grass
near hives when an employee carelessly parked in the mating yard in
mid-afternoon on a
bright, sunny day.

allen

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