Absconding from mini-nuc

[Jimmy]

On the 20th May I put a pulled virgin Q together with a cupful of bees in a Warnholz mini-nuc.
Yesterday (29th) they absconded and clustered some 3 metres away in an apple tree. Last night I put them back in the mini-nuc.

A few Q:

When the Q goes on her mating flights, does the whole mini-nuc go along for the ride and it's possible that they didn't find their way right back to their home?

or were they looking for a new home?

They also seem to have picked up 2-3 drones. Are these just chancers sniffing round the virgin Q??!


Thanks

 

[Teemore]

Sometimes you will find that almost the entire population from the mini nuc will accompany the queen on ther mating flight(s). This may be because the bees used to populate the mini nuc were predominantly older foragers rather than house bees. If the bees in the mating flight decide to settle for a rest on their way back to the mini nuc, they will cluster and may take the notion to remain there. My father spotted such a cluster yesterday which disappeared after an hour or so: having checked my mini nucs, either they were not my bees in that cluster or they decided to head back 'home' after a wee rest. While out on a mating flight the bees might well chance upon a site they feel is more suited to them and they will not return back to the mini nuc. There can be a lot of variables at play.
With reference to the drones, you will often find them moving in to mating nucs and loitering around as they are aware that there is a queen getting ready for a mating flight.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Agree with Teemore.
Once you get some brood in a mini-nuc it tends to anchor the colony more - and you will have bees fanning to get the queen back so there's a better chance of return.