The wings are one of the last parts to develop in the
soon-to-emerge virgin queen.  Some years ago, I was due to carry
some ripe (9-10 day) queen cells out to put in the nucleus
colonies in a mating yard.  We normally carried the cells in a
chilly bin (NZ expression.  Aussies call it an Isky (?).  Just a
6 pack of beer sized polystyrene container!).  We would place a
slightly warm hot water bottle in the bottom, cover that with a
towel, then place the cells on top.  Well, it seems I made the
hot water bottle too hot!  I didn't know it until about three
weeks later when I went to cage the queens.  Only 2 of the 40
cells had produced mated queens.  Almost all the virgins did
emerge - they were running around in the nucs still.  Only thing,
their wings were just little useless stubs!  It was the same
mating yard where I once dropped a cell.  I couldn't spot it in
the grass, so just left it.  Back there the next day, I found the
just emerging cell by the small cluster of workers clinging to
it!  It had been quite cold overnight, and the cell was just
laying on the ground for that last day of its development.
Moral?  If cells are almost fully developed, they'll take quite a
bit of cold, but too much heat can be a killer, it seems!
 
-------------------------------------
          Nick Wallingford
      Bay of Plenty Polytechnic
 (East coast, N Island, New Zealand)
     Internet [log in to unmask]
-------------------------------------