# Visit from a Virgin Queen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Beekeeping - Basics\ **Tags:** virgin-queen, queen\ **Created:** [September 20, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619 "2023-09-20T22:56:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![djaef](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/djaef/32/28081_2.png) [@djaef](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/djaef)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/1 "2023-09-20T22:56:23Z")
Hey there. I just got an empty second hand Flow Hive. It’s still dismantled on my deck, but today, what looked to be a Queen bee paid it a visit. She sat on it for ten minutes s or so, just enough time for my son to come and get me. I took a picture and was thinking about what I should do (I’m about to take a split a a start a second hive) when she flew off. What’s the consensus here? Would it be likely to be a virgin queen from a nearby hive? What other possibilities are there? Is it in fact a Queen? It looks like it to me but I’m no expert. Cheers Geoff ![IMG_5283](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/4/8/48658d7f6e1c753c11df943e8bc960bfba4dfbbe.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Saraj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@Saraj](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Saraj)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/2 "2023-09-20T23:20:31Z")
Hi @djaef , I’m thinking it’s not a queen as the wings usually don’t extend to the bottom of the abdomen, even in a virgin queen, also the ones I’ve seen have all had the same colour on the abdomen not striped…but I’m no expert either 😝 ---
**Author:** ![djaef](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/djaef/32/28081_2.png) [@djaef](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/djaef)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/3 "2023-09-20T23:44:27Z")
Yeah, I thought that myself about the wings and the stripes, but it’s clearly not just an ordinary worker bee or a drone, so what else can it be? ---
**Author:** ![Saraj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@Saraj](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Saraj)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/4 "2023-09-21T00:34:26Z")
@djaef maybe a “yellow hairy flower wasp” 🫣 ??? ---
**Author:** ![JeffH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/jeffh/32/7192_2.png) [@JeffH](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JeffH)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/5 "2023-09-21T02:27:40Z")
Hi Sara, I googled queen bee, then clicked on images. Look what showed up. ![Untitled](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/2/d/2d6769f46fb7a96dac735afecb7f01a55969976f.jpeg) The first one is possibly an animated image, however this one looks real. ![Untitled](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/d/4/d407f53f6708669b9bfc0ccc6a7588d207a879ea.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![djaef](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/djaef/32/28081_2.png) [@djaef](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/djaef)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/6 "2023-09-21T02:58:19Z")
So where would it be from @JeffH ? ---
**Author:** ![JeffH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/jeffh/32/7192_2.png) [@JeffH](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JeffH)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/7 "2023-09-21T03:50:35Z")
Hi Geoff, I have no idea. I always had the idea that virgin queens go to the DCA, get mated, before returning to their hive. It could be as @Saraj suggested, a flower wasp of some kind. It’s worth remembering that there is about 15,000 species of bees & wasps that are native to Australia. The majority being wasps. There is a fly that targets native bee hives, the Syrphid fly, which looks more like a wasp in my opinion. I used to see them hanging around, & always thought they were wasps. ---
**Author:** ![Saraj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@Saraj](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Saraj)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 11:52am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/8 "2023-09-21T11:52:54Z")
Hi @JeffH , love the pictures 😝, the long wings had me puzzled as well. I’m off to look for images of the Syraphid fly you mentioned. Hope you & Wilma are keeping well x Saraj ---
**Author:** ![djaef](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/djaef/32/28081_2.png) [@djaef](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/djaef)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/9 "2023-09-21T21:46:30Z")
I am familiar with wasps and flies. I don’t think there is any doubt that this was a bee. Didn’t have the big eyes of a fly. Just a Queen passing by, it seems… ---
**Author:** ![hassanrsd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/hassanrsd/32/29533_2.png) [@hassanrsd](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/hassanrsd)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/visit-from-a-virgin-queen/35619/10 "2023-09-24T23:07:04Z")
I have had the privilege of visiting a virgin queen bee. This intriguing encounter with a young and unmated queen bee unveils a fascinating aspect of beekeeping. Virgin queens are distinguishable by their slender physique and vibrant appearance. Their sole purpose is to embark on a mating flight, where they’ll mate with drones from neighboring hives, thus ensuring genetic diversity within the colony. Witnessing this phase of a queen bee’s life offers a glimpse into the intricate world of bee reproduction and the pivotal role these regal insects play in maintaining the hive’s vitality.