BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING
How long to wait for a Virgin...
damienpryan:
Hi Guys,
I've caught 3 swarms 7-14 days ago...
One of the new colonies shows no sign of a queen (no eggs, cannot find her) but is busy building comb etc.
I'm guessing it is a virgin queen swarm.
How long should I wait for her to start laying?
And if she doesn't, should I just combine it into one of the new colonies.
(I have too many hives anyway...)
Cheers
Damien
TheHoneyPump:
Queen from scratch (larvae): 22-28 days to laying. Longer if weather is poor for mating flights.
Queen from virgin stage: 8-16 days to laying. Longer if weather is poor.
Hope that helps!
damienpryan:
Found her...
She's started laying...
TheHoneyPump:
Congratulations!
Michael Bush:
To answer the original question a queen has 21 days from when she emerges to get mated. After that she will become a drone layer if she gets mated.
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