# Introducing virgins



## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

Those who may be using a incubator will need to introduce a virgin into a queenless colony. I'm interested in hearing from those who do this routinely what methods work best. I've heard just run them in the entrance at dusk and also treat them just like a mated queen. Tips appreciated.


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## NEWSOM HONEY FARMS (Oct 31, 2008)

According to Chad with Shamrock in CA said he sprinkled baby powder over the frames just before introducing virgins, he said it kills the phermones and gets about a 98% take.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

Anyone else care to help??


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## ChristopherA (Jul 20, 2010)

I believe H and L Bee Farm strickly uses virgin queen vs queen cells. They are a queen/package producer in Ga.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

most of my experience with virgins has been while working the bees and finding virgins after swarming. I remember the queens were cutting their way out. made up 4 nucs and opened the cell and let the queen run in. the workers never looked at her. don't think they develop pheromones until later. I would have no problem starting a nuc with a uncaged virgin. based on experience, very unscientific.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I can't really say how well it works, but while working colonies recently, I have come across emerging queens. When I did I ran them in the entrances of splits that may or may not have had queens in them. I had made them up queenless and added cells to them, but had found no eggs yet. It'll be interresting to see what happens.

I don't see why adding a virgin queen to a queenless split shouldn't work. That's what you get when you add a cell which hatches the next day.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

Thanks guys. I'm a little hesitant due to a bad experience last year. I was in need of a queen and went to a local breeder who had a queen. When I arrived to pick it up, it was injured so he offered a different queen. He went into a hive a pulled what he said was a virgin queen and gave the instructions just to run it in the hive. I did, but it was balled and eventually died. I can't say for sure that what he gave me was a virgin queen, but I trusted his advice. 

Again, thanks for the input. I guess I'll try a couple of different techniques this year and see what works the best for me.


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## frazzledfozzle (May 26, 2010)

I've never had much luck introducing a virgin if she's more than a few hours old.

If shes just hatched she hasn't taken on the scent of a hive yet so you will have good acceptance.

If she's in an incubator with no other bees to speak of then I would imagine she wont have a hive scent and will be accepted.

When I have done a virgin intro, I've always run them in from the top. 

frazz


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

A little trick from a former queen breeder.. Dabb her with some honey. The bees will proceed to clean her up and in the process doing so, get their scent all over her. Then most of the time she will "take">TED


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## olddrown (Oct 28, 2009)

Put her in a Queen cage with nurse bees like a mated queen,let the bees eat her out.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

http://vimeo.com/13861928


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Interesting discussion on Bee L a while back on this subject. 

http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/[email protected]&d=No+Match;Match;Matches&P=59983


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## LRJ36 (Apr 26, 2010)

using baby powder to merge two hives....
I have repeated the theory of this procedure to a beekeeping friend, he called me to inform me that it killed 90 percent of the bees in the hive,,,, can someone please tell me if they have used baby powder to merge two hives, and if so there must be an explanation, I have personally been told by Shad Sullivan that this indeed works well, and has for some 30 plus years. I have never done it, but then I have put hives. together and just went for it no paper no nothing and just been lucky...


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

when we combine weak hives or make up nucs with frames from misc colonies we just smoke them and do it. next time I need to kill a hive Ill try the baby powder method. lol. not sure where some of these ideas come from.


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