Queen Science After Hatching

[Jen]

When a queen hatches and she can't get out to mate right away, how long will her pheromone last? I think I remember 2 weeks? and then she's not mateable anymore?

[iddee]

Here's a quote from Huber regarding lack of fertility after 20 days:

"It is undoubted, therefore, that when the copulation of queens is retarded beyond the twentieth day, only an imperfect impregnation is operated: instead of laying the eggs of workers and males equally, they will lay none but those of males."

And here is another quote from Huber about successful mating on the 16th day following emergence:

"On the sixteenth day, I set her at liberty: she left the hive, rose aloft in the air, and soon returned with full evidence of impregnation. In two days, she laid, first the eggs of workers, and afterwards as many as the most, fertile queens"

[Jen]

Perfect Iddee, exactly what I needed to know 

[Jen]

This kinda blew me out of the water. I always thought that the queen hatched and was out of the hive in a day or two getting mated.. and then of course successful mating is weather dependant as well.

However, this chart indicates that the queen isn't even 'mating mature' for about a week or more.. after hatching.

Man o man, this makes a lot of sense to me, and I've been suspecting this for years.


Queen development from egg to emerging……..16 day
Days to reach mating age…………………..7 days (or longer)
Days to mate……………………………..2 days (or longer)
Days to develop eggs after mating…………..3 days
TOTAL…………………………………..28 days

[iddee]

Unless that is stated as an average, it's total hogwash... I've had queens laying everywhere from 21 to 35 days from egg.

[RAST]

I was taught that 28 days from an egg to laying eggs is the average and that falls right in your 21 to 35 range. I like to give a queen a month, then my eyes can see the larva.