spiritfreedom
05-12-2009, 11:39 AM
So, to recap, I accidentally freed my queen last night. Newly built top bar hive. Brand new beekeeper. How will I know and how soon can I tell if she stayed in the hive?
Eaglerock
05-12-2009, 12:46 PM
Depends on if you have given drawn comb or not. If they have to build the comb, you can't wait to see brood. Nevertheless, you still can check. Usually they will ball around her or you will find her in the bulk of the bees. But that depends on the size you started- 2,3 or 4 lbs. I usually wait a couple weeks and then go in and see if I can find her- if I am worried. I had one that when I let her out she started flying and although I think she didn't leave, I wanted to make sure. I gave them a frame of drawn comb and found she was laying. Saved my poor old eyes. But I am sure if you take your time and look you can see her walking around. Besides if you are a new beekeeper, it will be beneficial for you to do that.