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Virgin queen flew off

6K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Cornicekurt 
#1 ·
I was adding a frame of emerging brood to boost the population of a cast swarm that i caught last week. While the cover was off the queen quickly popped up between two frames and flew off. Her abdomen looked larger than when i last saw her, so I am pretty sure she has been out of the hive to mate. What are the chances of her returning?
 
#2 ·
Exactly what happened whit me
My queen flies off me though she will come back, next day when I check the hive was empty
Not even bees inside just maybe 10-20 bees but was very small hive surviving after I receive new nuc probably 80-90 off the bees was deed when I open the nuc
I thought I will help to make it give it frames whit cap broad hood but now is gone ……
 
#3 ·
I have heard that when this happens, you leave the hive in the same state it was when she left. IE, if the cover was off, leave it off. When she takes off, she orients herself. She flies around and checks out the hive. Then she leaves. When she comes back she looks for the hive that she left. If you change it after she leaves, she's up the creek.

I'm so OCD, I would probably stand there in the same spot for a half hour so my body would not be gone either.

Kinda like when Karl Childers sat on the bed all night and never went to sleep. Slingblade...anyone?

It's late.
 
#7 ·
Next time a queen flies do this:

1) don't move (she will orient on you)
2) don't close the hive (she need to smell it)
3) pick up a frame with bees and shake them back down into the hive. You will see them come to the top, put their butts in the air and start fanning Nasonov pheromone. (they will guide her back)
4) wait and watch until you either see her return (she is noticeably larger) or ten minutes have passed

Close it up and go home...
 
#10 ·
She was one of two queens in a swarm caught last Wednesday. I am assuming that when she flew with the swarm that she was ~21-24 days old. I removed the includer on Sunday morning, so she has had 4 days of decent weather to mate. Assuming 3 days delay post mating, by Monday she would be 32-35 days old and laying?
 
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