I have incorporated several Russian lines into my motley crew of
survivors of chemical -free life... It usually takes at least 3 weeks
from a split with mature swarm cells to see eggs and brood, even in good
weather   This year one hive took 5 weeks,  I'd even given up and added
brood but a week later there was a pretty queen. Several Italian strains
and Buckfasts and feral bees are in the mix, but this characteristic
seems pretty dominant. When they start they'll lay like fiends, tho,
eggs everywhere!  Carolyn in getting-very-dry-again- South Carolina.

allen dick wrote:

>I was cleaning out my PDA and came across a note ... that the Russian queens take
>longer to mate than the other strains we know better... 18 days it says
>here...
>
>
>

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