# Before/After Pics Virgin then Mated, Laying Queen



## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Ok, I took some pictures of a virgin queen June 14th and pictures again when I caught and marked her June 25th. 

Before:
http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/jwcarlson1984/20150614_123617-1_zpsxkynmksi.jpg

Before:
http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/jwcarlson1984/20150614_123612-1_zpsrp4if5p2.jpg

After:
http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/jwcarlson1984/20150625_161418_zpstafdkg2t.jpg

Anyone else have similar pics? This queen was in a cramped, nectar bound nuc so she had only laid about one medium frame's worth of eggs plus swarm cups.


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## gezellig (Jun 11, 2014)

Great pics. I wish I could for the sake of experience, have the nerve to try marking. But every time I think I will, I postpone, afraid I'll kill her


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## PeterP (Feb 5, 2014)

Interesting pics, thxs, 
In the middle pic (still virgin) the wings look longer. Is this because they are not folded? Do the wings stretch out when unfolded? One of the key features I look at when finding queens is the wing length.

Regards Peter


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

I think it is because of the angle of the picture, PeterP.

Regarding marking queens waaaaaay easier than i expected. Buy Testors enamel and mark some drones. I didn't bother with drones went straight with queens. After hearing horror stories about drowning queens with those pens I'm glad I use paint and grass.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Nice photos! Every newbee should have those for reference!


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## Robbin (May 26, 2013)

great photos, Thanks


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Another set. 
Before:


After:
http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/jwcarlson1984/20150630_154303-1_zpsp4lb3jnx.jpghttp://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/jwcarlson1984/20150630_154305-1_zpszxvhchqs.jpg


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

You get pictures of virgin queens and if I catch a glimpse of them, they fly away into the wild blue yonder. 

Are you drugging them to keep them from flying away? LOL


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Great pictures - thanks for going to that effort. 

The wings look shorter on the mated queens because the abdomen elongates. When new beekeepers don't know if they are looking at a queen or drone the easiest tell tale is that queens are the only caste which has wings that are much shorter than their body.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

The ones I have stumbled upon freshly emerged are runny and skittish, but both of these probably at least a few days after emergence walked around like laying queens.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Before:


After:


She had only been laying a day or so when this pic was taken, she has plumped up since then.


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## spunky (Nov 14, 2006)

Thanks for posting these pics- quite informative


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

queens can be plump and deflate in a matter of minutes under stress. I didn't realize this until I started watching JP the beeman videos. quite the interesting phenomenon as I always figured they were swollen from carrying drone semen. Had I thought it through completely I would have known already though. Never thought about them slimming down to swarm and then re plumping once they start laying again. It's not like they dump their load in order to fly and then go mate again. The thing I typically spot when I see a queen are the splayed legs.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Harley, it is AMAZING how fast a caged queen shrinks down. It's pretty impressive. Some seem to drop down to worker size. Some seem to stay a little bigger. But they sometimes shrink down to maybe... 1/3 of their size probably?


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

it makes sense from a survival stand point. If there is an emergency and the colony has to abscond in order to survive , I'm sure that queen has to deflate quickly if she wants to fly very far with the rest of the colony.


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