Queen Cells in Incubators

[Swift Nick]

Queens are usually helped out of their queen cells by worker bees chewing around the end of the cell to make the wall thin. So does that mean a queen cell can only be put in an incubator when this has happened? Or if an earlier stage sealed queen cell is put in an incubator, can the queen chew her way through the whole wall thickness?

 

[madasafish]

Queen chews through the cap.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Workers sometimes clear some wax from the tip of the cell it's called crowning.
Queens can easily manage to release themselves without any help.

 

[B+.]

Queens are usually helped out of their queen cells by worker bees chewing around the end of the cell to make the wall thin. So does that mean a queen cell can only be put in an incubator when this has happened? Or if an earlier stage sealed queen cell is put in an incubator, can the queen chew her way through the whole wall thickness?

Virgin queens have no problem getting out of their cells unassisted. I put them into the incubator as soon as they're sealed. As soon as the queen emerges, break down the cell because she'll go back in to eat any remaining food and can't reverse out.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ah. I never knew what it was called. Thanks Nigel

 

[Swift Nick]

Thanks all, that has cleared that one up nicely.