Two virgins in the same nuc - leave them to it?

[Beeline]

Did AS two weeks ago ending up with QCs in two nucs. The one frame had two QCs which I left because they were joined together at the top of the frame and I was concerned I would damage both whilst trying to remove one.

Anyway by all accounts both nucs have newly hatched queens as I've heard piping from both.

My concern is - I've heard piping from two different queens in the same 4 frame nuc so obviously both have survived. Should I leave them to it in the hope one gets mated or am I likely to end up with a cast swarm from a nuc even of this size?

 

[VEG]

one will probably kill the other

 

[BBG]

Did AS two weeks ago ending up with QCs in two nucs. The one frame had two QCs which I left because they were joined together at the top of the frame and I was concerned I would damage both whilst trying to remove one.

Anyway by all accounts both nucs have newly hatched queens as I've heard piping from both.

My concern is - I've heard piping from two different queens in the same 4 frame nuc so obviously both have survived. Should I leave them to it in the hope one gets mated or am I likely to end up with a cast swarm from a nuc even of this size?

Yes, we had the piping and thought they would sort it our get mated start laying et etc

Inspected and nothing except calm bees no Queen to be found

See earlier post for Polyhive's advices

 

[Finman]

.
I would leave the better looking (big to me)

or I kill the crossing color owner.

 

[itma]

Just yesterday, I was hearing that the Queen's sting can't even penetrate the exoskeleton of another virgin after that has hardened following emergence from the cell.
If one of this pair of virgins were now to meet its end in the hive, it would be due to being balled by workers rather than being directly terminated by her rival.
But I don't know what might determine whether a 2nd Q gets culled by the bees or leads a cast out of the hive.
Leaving a second virgin in there has to be risking a cast.
Rubbing out one of the rivals should make for more certainty - if only in that regard!



Given the rubbish weather, getting a queen mated may be far from certain.
I'm now of the firm opinion that the next thing I'll be investing in will be a few mini-nucs. Regardless of how few Qs you might want to keep, trying to be in the position of sending plural virgins up for mating, and ultimately being able to choose between queens that are mated and laying, seems a much better proposition than merely selecting a single promising-looking QC ...

 

[oliver90owner]

Regardless of how few Qs you might want to keep, trying to be in the position of sending plural virgins up for mating, and ultimately...

Yes, but. With only the one or two colonies, that strategy may be flawed - there being better local alternatives for the beek. I prefer taking extra nucs through the winter, for spring reinforcement or queen replacement. Later hive splits (three frames) are adequate for me with split six frame nuc boxes.

That would normally be around now (end of OSR) or in the next three weeks, but not this year! Wasn't until near the end of May last year, because of the weather for mating flights. This year the OSR has been in bloom for getting on for six weeks and still shows little sign of 'going over', but hardly a skerret of surplus nectar for the bees.

On the subject of penetrating the exoskeleton, I would agree, but the weakness will be between the segments of the exoskeleton, not directly through it.

 

[Beeline]

My concern is - I've heard piping from two different queens in the same 4 frame nuc so obviously both have survived. Should I leave them to it in the hope one gets mated or am I likely to end up with a cast swarm from a nuc even of this size?

Update......today found a small cast in the tree next to the apiary. I strongly suspect it's one of these two virgins as the original hive seemed a bit quiet but as they are not yet mated I'm not interfering too much.

Anyway, bunged them into another nuc.

Running out of kit with all these 4-5 frame nucs.