I had an interesting situation today.  While visiting an outyard I found a
large number of queen cells in a colony that behaves well and produces well.
I cut them all out, but decided to save a couple of the queen cells and
raise a few of queens for requeening later in the year.  I drove for home
with the queen cells carefully placed in a flower pot and wrapped in a
towel.  I planned to borrow a couple of frames of bees from my stronger
colonies for each and let them tend the emerging queens.  Getting home I
found a surprise.

When I uncovered the pot, two newly hatched queens crawled out.  They
hatched out during my hour-long drive home.  I placed them in queen cages
and set them up together with a couple of frames of bees and brood.  I
wanted to buy a little time and consider how I could introduce virgin queens
to a mating nuc.  I have done mated queens and queen cells with considerable
success.  I have never tried an undoubtably virgin queen.

Just thinking out loud...  virgin queens produce less queen substance than
mated ones.  The bees may not ID them as queens in their cages and they
starve.  When they everge from the cage the lack of the queen substance may
cause them to be ignored.  I need to have them released in the colony rather
quickly because their bio clock is ticking.... I believe I call that mating
flights happen starting on about the third day...  What if I miss that day?

As an aside, I also found it strange that they would emerge so soon when the
colony had not yet swarmed.  At least, from the strength of the colony I
would suspect no swarm had left.  I wonder if disturbing then and perhaps
warming them in the sun might have had an effect.

I would be happy to have any advice from this august group.  Any thoughts.
I figure I need to act in the next 24 hours.

Larry Krengel
Marengo, IL

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