Not a catastrophe but advice appreciated

[colinc]

copy of a post in the Apiary today thread
.

last weekend was extraction of OSR did in a day and cleaned down great. One hive was making swarm preps so AS performed at same time. Didn't want daughters from this queen so went back in today.
Swarm colony no eggs lots of Queen cells in various stages so tore them all down and added a frame of eggs from my original lovely queen and marked the frame to recheck later in the week. Great.

Colony 2 with the original queen are going to supersede this year I am sure. tried once and knocked that down in April and today another single mid frame supercedure cell tore it down but couldn't find the larvae but actually saw the queen laying an egg in the hive during inspection. They aren't looking likely to swarm but laying is slower so maybe she has burnt out

Then I check the queen from my big hive in the AS. find her 2nd frame they had started drawing out new frames and have 1:1 syrup now. put frame back and take next frame and she was right next to my hand. Runs across my hand and flies off quick as a flash. marked but not clipped.

Didn't see if she went straight down into the hive or away it was that fast. Suspect 1 of three possibilities.

1, she went straight back in the brood box

2, she went AWOL and is lost

3, she would know the route back to her own original hive maybe??? and I find her back there next time.


Knowing my luck she will dive back into my original queens colony and do away with her mother.


anyone with similar experience along these lines?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes.
I stand there with the hive open for a good while.
Usually they come back.

 

[colinc]

I moved her so she may fly to her original hive though. We shall see


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[Erichalfbee]

I moved her so she may fly to her original hive though. We shall see


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She won't remember where that was
She'll make a few orientation loops and be back inside. Bet ya!

 

[colinc]

Thanks for the reassurance. I hope you are right her colony is a little grumpier under inspections but fine after so I wouldn't lose sleep but if she has gone then the brood break whilst fixing the swarm issue takes the option to put a laying queen back.


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[pargyle]

I was doing a demonstration inspection at the association apiary last year at a bees and honey weekend ... Looking for the queen on the frame I knew she was on and she'd flown up and landed on the top of my hat !! Little beggar ... our apiary manager grabbed her and put her in a queen cage (fortunately one in my kit) to put her back in the hive when I was finished ... very entertaining for all concerned !

 

[JWF]

I had a queen jump off a frame onto my smoker once - i quickly knocked her back I to the hive and fortunately no harm done!