>How long can I keep the virgins caged??

You'll need attendants and food.
Myself, I wouldn't keep a queen
caged more than 7 days.
In multiple queen swarms, -IMO,
it is better to let the bees sort
it out, If you had a place to use 
her, that would be beneficial.
-But a queen sitting in a cage 
with no place to go, is of benefit
to nobody.

>Has anyone ever found this in a swarm??

I find them more than occasionally.

>What caused this? Did they wait a couple of days too late to swarm??

Could be a combined swarm...
Sometimes more than one queen
leaves with the swarm for no good reason.

Best Wishes,
Joe Waggle

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