A 'virgin' is a queen that has emerged from her cell but not begun the series of flights that will see her mate with male bees. They are capable of flight as soon as they emerge, but will not begin flying for any distance for several days. Virgin queens are not capable of producing the full complement of chemical signals that identify themselves as queens, and their rapid movements and unfamiliar behaviour can make them a target for worker bees alert to strangers in the colony.