Which type of queens to choose: virgin, naturally mated or instrumentally inseminated? Pros and cons.

Hello beekeepers!

The weather has been very good for a week now and allows us to enjoy beautiful and sunny days and visit bee colonies. Certainly, some beekeepers, after the first spring bee colony inspection, have felt the need to plan for a purchase of queens this year, so the question might arise - which type of queens to choose: virgin, naturally mated or instrumentally inseminated?

To help you decide, we've compiled a short list of the pros and cons of each type of queen.

Virgin queens:
(+) At the beginning of the season, virgin queens are available at least 3 weeks earlier than naturally mated queens, which is essential for replacement of old queens in main colonies or creation of new colonies as early in season as possible,
(+) Virgin queens have a lower price than mated queens,
(-) Virgin queens need time to go on the “wedding” flight, but there is a risk that favorable weather conditions do not occur for a long time (rain, wind, air temperature below 19°C). If the queen does not take the “wedding” flight for a long time (beyond 14 days of age) there is a risk that the amount of semen stored in the spermatheca will decrease, which reduces the productivity and life expectancy of the queen,
(-) Queens may not return from the "wedding" flight for various reasons (queen gets lost, returns into the wrong colony, is eaten by birds, etc.),
(-) Virgin queens are more difficult to introduce to a colony than laying queens.

Naturally mated queens:
(+) The queen is mated and tested for laying and will resume laying within 3 days after introduction to the colony,
(+) Laying queens are easier to introduce to a colony than virgin queens,
(-) Naturally mated queens are available 3 weeks later than virgin queens,
(-) Naturally mated queens have a higher price than virgin queens.

Instrumentally inseminated queens:
(+) The queen is instrumentally inseminated, the origin of the drones used for insemination is known,
(+) Instrumentally inseminated queens are intended for rearing pure (Buckfast/Carnica/Ligustica) virgin queens,
(-) Instrumentally inseminated queens have a higher price than naturally mated queens.

Virgin queens and naturally mated queens are intended to replace old queens in bee colonies or to create new colonies. Instrumentally inseminated queens are intended for rearing new queens for your own apiary or for queen breeders to evaluate them and then rear queens for commercial purposes.

Evaluate and choose the most suitable type of bee queen for your needs and possibilities!

You can find out more about our virgin, naturally mated and instrumentally inseminated queens offer in our Queen shop - https://www.smilga-spalvina.lv/queen-shop/

Successful!