Virgin queens, how long do they keep?

[D Coates]

I've got some virgin queens about to emerge.  I've got some strong 10 frame nucs that I'll split and requeen the queenless 5-frame nuc with the virgin.  Now the last time I did this 50% of the queens did not survive (mating flight, introduction, whatever)  Considering I've got slightly more queens than I've got queenless nucs I'd like to be able to use the remaining virgins to replace any that did not survive to become laying queens.   I tried to searching for this here but didn't find the answer.  In short, how long can I hold a virgin before she is not able to take a mating flight any more?  I'm remembering 7 days but would like confirmation.

[FRAMEshift]

I've got some virgin queens about to emerge.  I've got some strong 10 frame nucs that I'll split and requeen the queenless 5-frame nuc with the virgin.  Now the last time I did this 50% of the queens did not survive (mating flight, introduction, whatever)  Considering I've got slightly more queens than I've got queenless nucs I'd like to be able to use the remaining virgins to replace any that did not survive to become laying queens.   I tried to searching for this here but didn't find the answer.  In short, how long can I hold a virgin before she is not able to take a mating flight any more?  I'm remembering 7 days but would like confirmation.

The limit is more than 7 days but less than 30 days.   She becomes progressively less able to mate well.  Seems to me it's pretty late in the year  to be splitting below the 10 frame level in Missouri.  If you also have to wait on mating flights I don't see how your 5 frame nucs can recover in time for winter.

[D Coates]

I normally overwinter in 5-frame nucs with Fall queens as well as my regular double deeps.  I put on additional 2" shim with a 1/2 inch drilled hole on the front and back as well as newspaper with sugar on top of them (mountaincamp method) and I've had good luck so far.  I did loose one last year but ironically it was a 10 frame nuc (5 stacked on 5).  I've been feeding the nucs for splitting 1:1 for a the last few weeks (once the soybean flow stopped) to keep the nuc queens laying.  The hives are now busting at the seams for splitting and the drones are still plentiful.  When I split them I make sure the one with the virgin has slightly more brood than the queenright one has and I put a empty frame in the queenright hive to give the queen laying room.  For any nuc that fails to get a mated queen I combine the queenless nuc with a queenright nuc in September.

[FRAMEshift]

Well that's impressive.  Good luck!

[Michael Bush]

According to Huber, who did extensive research on the matter and concluded that after 22 days she will be a drone layer after she mates.

http://www.bushfarms.com/huber.htm#impregnationaffectstheovaries