Re-Place Virgin Queen

[Busy Bee]

Hi All,

If I make a nuc up with a queen cell and it hatchs out a virgin queen.

Can this virgin queen be removed and be replaced with a fully mated queen. If this is possible how can it be done and what % are the risks of the bees killing the new mated queen?


Busy Bee

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes..no problem at all,find the virgin and stick her in a cage in the hive...next visit swap her for a mated queen,then let the bee's eat her out of the cage.

 

[Busy Bee]

Excellent thats nice and simply no trouble at all. Can this be done with a large colony without any trouble or would it be better to put in 2 capped brood with the virgin caged between new brood frames to be replaced with new mated queen?

Busy Bee

P.S. I hit pot luck today I found a virgin queen in a double brood packed with bees today.