Virgin queen feed

[elainemary]

I have 5 virgin queens due to emerge between Monday & Tuesday, from Cloakboard queen rearing / grafting. The cells are in roller cages in the top box of a split hive with nurse bees & sealed brood.

Can you pls advise if I should put a source of food & what type, in the caps of the roller cages beneath the cell, so if / when they emerge in the middle of the night, they have food? Understand they may try to get back into the cell to eat any royal jelly left, but also that they can starve quickly. Not sure if they can beg / be given food by nurses through the small holes in the roller cage & whether this will be sufficient, I plan to put the virgins into cages into 3 frame Nucs on Tuesday, for acceptance / mating.

Appreciate any advice, as not done this before.
Many thanks

Elaine

 

[B+.]

I have 5 virgin queens due to emerge between Monday & Tuesday, from Cloakboard queen rearing / grafting. The cells are in roller cages in the top box of a split hive with nurse bees & sealed brood.

Can you pls advise if I should put a source of food & what type, in the caps of the roller cages beneath the cell, so if / when they emerge in the middle of the night, they have food? Understand they may try to get back into the cell to eat any royal jelly left, but also that they can starve quickly. Not sure if they can beg / be given food by nurses through the small holes in the roller cage & whether this will be sufficient, I plan to put the virgins into cages into 3 frame Nucs on Tuesday, for acceptance / mating.

Appreciate any advice, as not done this before.
Many thanks

Elaine

They will be fed by nurse bees through the bars of the cage. You don't need to provide anything more.
The requirement to place a few drops of honey and water is only meant for those of us who allow virgins to emerge in an incubator - so she'll have something to sustain her until she is introduced to a nuc
If you want to add a drop of liquid honey to the bottom of the hair roller cage, it won't do any harm. I usually find that workers go straight for the honey when I release virgins to nucs.

 

[elainemary]

They will be fed by nurse bees through the bars of the cage. You don't need to provide anything more.
The requirement to place a few drops of honey and water is only meant for those of us who allow virgins to emerge in an incubator - so she'll have something to sustain her until she is introduced to a nuc
If you want to add a drop of liquid honey to the bottom of the hair roller cage, it won't do any harm. I usually find that workers go straight for the honey when I release virgins to nucs.

Thank you!