[Nan3902]

Oh my.

I thought my hive had no queen since I saw no eggs or larva and only had spotty covered drone comb (laying workers ?).

So I decided I would do the "dump the hive far away and have the bees get back to the hive by drifting" method". I stole the pollen, honey and eggs/larva from another hive so they would raise a queen.

I went back to look at the pile of laying workers about 8 hrs. later and felt bad for them, probably about 50. But who did I see in the pile ?????? THE QUEEN, since she was marked !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...major screw-up on my part.

I scooped her up in a paper cup and was walking over to put her back in the hive when she FLEW AWAY !!!!!!!!!!! I looked on the ground nearby and could not find her.

After examining the frozen drone comb later, there were indeed eggs and early larva ! I am such an idiot.

I will consider this a learning thing, but I feel terrible about the queen.

I think the drone comb I saw was from the queen before this one, who died early on (I think I squished her accidentally).

Oh my. Anyways, the dumping of the hive and hoping everyone but the laying workers gets back, works.

Now, why would taht work if there was indeed a queen. What is this pile of bees doing if there was a queen and theya re not laying workers ?

Nancy

 

[honeyman46408]

Been there done that

You learn by your mistakes (and I do a lot of learning) and if you dont make mistakes you arent doing anything so keep on keeping on the bees will teach you a lot.

 

[NasalSponge]

What is this pile of bees doing if there was a queen and theya re not laying workers

Nurse bees have never left the hive before so they do not know how to get back to it.

 

[Nan3902]

Should I scoop the bees up and put them back in the hive ? God, I feel so awful !

Nancy

 

[NasalSponge]

It wouldn't hurt a thing to do so. Don't be too hard on yourself. I would venture to say we have all done things like that. Why just last year I started a nuc with a queen cell only to later find out I had transfered my marked queen to the nuc and made the other hive a laying worker hive. Now I have "eyes on" my queen before I move any frames...lesson learned. Bees are extremely resilient!

 

[Nan3902]

Hey, wait a sec. The process of dumping the bees and letting the bees find their way back doesn't let the nurse bees come back ? What about the drones ? That would mean anyone except the foragers would not get back and that is definitely not the case. Is this fact or your guess ?

Nancy

 

[NasalSponge]

OK let me put it this way..any bee that has never left the hive will not be able to find ther way back...any bee that has yet to take an orientation flight will not know the way home. Same goes for the drones.

 

[Nan3902]

Wow. So this dumping of the hive is a weird thing.

Nancy

 

[bjoynes]

I felt sorry for the Queen being stuck in a cage while her attendents had escaped. Fearing they, I have two hives, would starve released them by removing the screen, luckly they did not fly away, which I'm told would happen 9 out of 10 times. I bought two nucs and the queens where caged that way for travel.

Been in this hobby five minutes, well 3 days, and It feels like the first day of kindergarten. Some day I will graduate and the real learning will start.

Also found out that they would be fine for 5-7 days on their own.

Bryn

 

[dcross]

Easiest way to get the nurse bees back into the hives is to set the hive right by the clump, they should march right in. Odds are the queen returned to the hive after flying.

Laying workers can sometimes fly.

 

[franktrujillo]

there is drones made all season in well mated queens.

 

[brac]

The queen would not know where to go unless she was raised by you and took mating flights from that location. If you disagree, please explain...

 

[Beeslave]

And you may have a drone laying queen that flew back to your hive so you will have to look for her again when you have to kill her to install yet another queen.

 

[fish_stix]

Nan; in the case of an actual LW hive you would not have that little pile of nurse bees because by the time you get LW all the nurse bees have grown up and become foragers. BTW, never carry a queen in your open hand or an open container; they will fly away 99.9999% of the time. Cover the container with your hand!

 

[Beeslave]

Good point fishstix. It could still be a drone layer.

 

[dcross]

The queen would not know where to go unless she was raised by you and took mating flights from that location. If you disagree, please explain...

The one that flew off on me(package installation) was raised and mated in another state, made it back successfully. Theory I've heard is that they return by scent?