Mated queen stuck in the postal system for 5 days — will she still be viable when she lands?
Ontario second-year with a sinking feeling. Ordered a mated queen to requeen my grumpy hive; she shipped Monday in a standard cage with attendants and a candy plug, was supposed to arrive Wednesday, and the tracking has said 'in transit' at the same sorting facility for THREE days. If she moves tomorrow, she'll arrive having spent 5 days in the mail.
Supplier says the cage was provisioned properly and queens routinely survive a week, but this heat wave has me imagining a cooked cage in a metal trailer.
Two questions: what do I do the moment she arrives to give her the best shot, and is there a point where I should assume mail-stress has wrecked her laying even if she's alive? I have a queenless nuc I could bank her in while I sort the grumpy hive out.
Been on both ends of this many times. Five days is inside the survivable window if the cage was provisioned right — I've had queens arrive after 7 and lay beautifully. On arrival: get her somewhere cool, put a single drop of water on the screen (water, not honey or syrup — they're thirsty, not starving) and watch. Active queen, attendants tending her = proceed. Then into your queenless nuc, cage sealed, for slow introduction — after mail stress give them 4-5 days on the candy rather than rushing. A banked queen in a truly queenless nuc keeps for weeks.
MayaBees · Jul 4, 2026
Seconding the water drop — it's the single biggest arrival-day thing and everyone skips it. Also check the attendants: a couple dead is normal and fine, all dead with a sluggish queen is when I'd be on the phone to the supplier before introducing. Most sell live-arrival guarantees; photograph the cage when you open the box.
QuebecBees · Jul 4, 2026
Canada Post has aged me several years this same way. For what it's worth: my worst case was a queen that arrived on day 6 last July, looked rough, then laid wall-to-wall by August. Mail stress mostly shows up as a slow START, not permanent damage — if she's alive and walking, odds are good.
BethsBees · Jul 4, 2026
She moved! Out for delivery tomorrow, day 5. Water drop ready, nuc is confirmed queenless and desperate, camera charged for the unboxing photo. Will update — and thanks for talking me off the ledge.