Virgin queen. How long should I wait?

7 days is not quite long enough time to wait. Give her another 7-10 days.

Thanks Ray.

I like to wait 2 weeks from emergence. Super important to leave them alone during this time. At two weeks check for eggs. No eggs then give them another week. If I don’t see a few eggs by week 3, then I donate a frame of eggs from a strong hive to see if they want to start making queen cells again. Bad weather can lengthen the mating process.

Ryan

Nelsonhoneyfarms said:

I like to wait 2 weeks from emergence. Super important to leave them alone during this time. At two weeks check for eggs. No eggs then give them another week. If I don’t see a few eggs by week 3, then I donate a frame of eggs from a strong hive to see if they want to start making queen cells again. Bad weather can lengthen the mating process.

Ryan

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Why not give them a frame of eggs at two weeks, instead of waiting till week three? If I come back the next day and see drawn out queen cups, wouldn't I know that the previous virgin was a failure? And wouldn't that shorten the turnaround time to get a new queen cell?

It’s just my preference. More than anything else, I prefer to minimize disturbance during this time and let the bees do what they do. I’ve messed it up several times before by getting into the hive and disturbing the process when I shouldn’t have. My 2-week check is a very quick egg check. If eggs aren’t obvious, I shut it until week 3. If I didn’t see eggs at 2 weeks, more times than not I will see them at 3. Again, just my preferred method.

Ryan