Hi Ian

> I am cerious, what happens here.  When the vergin queen emerges
> into a queen right colony, does the vergin fight with the mated queen
> before or after she mates herself?

Your question pre-supposes that queens will fight (which is not always the
case). Generally the old queen will have left with a swarm around the time
that the queencell was sealed, however if supercedure was the reason the
cell was generated, then the queen and virgin can be kept apart by the
workers for long enough for the virgin to mate. Old queens may die either at
the hands of another queen or by direct action of the workers. Supercedure
does not guarantee that the old queen will be disposed of and it is possible
for her to live several years alongside a daughter and on a small number of
occasions a grandaughter as well.

Best Regards & 73s, Dave Cushman... G8MZY
Beekeeping & Bee Breeding Website
Email: [log in to unmask] or  [log in to unmask]
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman & http://www.dave-cushman.net

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