Subject: Free Virgin Queens

From: [email-masked] (-verville d.f.)
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 1994 11:39:10 GMT

Did anyone notice the advertisement in the October Bee Culture
for free queens?
The ad says five free if you pay postage.
The ad says the queens are virgins.

Is introducing a virgin queen the same as a mated queen?

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From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 11 Oct 1994 15:27:04 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]

>Is introducing a virgin queen the same as a mated queen?

Sounds like a prank to me. By the time they are sent through the mail,
they are past any use.
  Virgin queens can be used, but only if done quickly. A virgin must mate
within a few days after emergence, or her chance is gone forever, and she
is worthless. If someone cages a virgin, she must go into a hive or nuc
very quickly, so she will have opportunity for mating flights.

Newly hatched virgins can be run in at the entrance, and will hardly be
noticed by the bees. There is no problem with acceptance, as with mated
queens. Older virgins seem to have more odor, thus less acceptance, but,
if you cage them, they may not be released in time for the mandatory
mating flights.
   When we are rearing queens, and sometimes cannot get all the cells in
the nucs in time, we just run the hatched virgins into the nucs. But it is
a race when you have 40 hatching cells and not enough nucs ready. They
will destroy each other, so they must be separated.

Dave Green, Eastern Pollinator Newsletter, POB 1215, Hemingway, SC
Internet:   [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Will Duckworth)
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 94 18:49:00 -0500

MM> Did anyone notice the advertisement in the October Bee Culture
MM> for free queens?
MM> The ad says five free if you pay postage.
MM> The ad says the queens are virgins.

I'd be careful (ie. mites, disease, etc). Where is the breeder? (ie. state / 
country)

MM> Is introducing a virgin queen the same as a mated queen?

If the question is would you do it the same way? Well, that depends if your old 
queen is dead - they don't take to well to _newbies_ <g>. Queen would still 
have to get mated - no promises there.

Will
[email-masked]
 * RM 1.3 02504 * If you think too fast you'll fall down.