Virgin queen flew away during inspection; lost her?

[tchu]

Swarm caught and hived 2 days ago, took bottom queen excluder out today and when opened hive just to see if found eggs I saw a little bit of drawn comb but no eggs and spotted the virgin queen. Tried to catch her just to mark her (aware some people are “against” marking virgin queens and their reasons for doing so but I’m not one of them) and she ended up landing on my friend and then on me and we didn’t see her anymore. Closed hive after a few minutes. Learned afterwards that virgin queens behave as if they were “scared” and run around the hive, so apparently they are not as settled as the mated queens I’m used to see.

Anyone think she’s lost? Thinking she didn’t go straight on her mating flight because I read that they normally take flight lessons beforehand and she never did because of the queen excluder. Lessons learned today about virgin queens for me but I’m obviously very concerned I now lost her. What happens when a virgin queen until then trapped flies away during inspection? Thanks in advance for your input

 

[steve1958]

A very good example of why we don't attempt to mark a virgin Queen.
Leave her alone and let her get on with what she needs to do.

I hope she has flown back to the hive.

 

[user 819]

For how long did you stay at the hive when she flew ?
From my experience they don't fly far may be about 10 metre's or so away and usually return within 10 - 20 mins, hopefully you stayed at the hive for long enough as she will use you as the landmark for orientating too.

 

[user 819]

A very good example of why we don't attempt to mark a virgin Queen.
Leave her alone and let her get on with what she needs to do.

I hope she has flown back to the hive.

Tbh too much fiddling and not really necessary to use a QX bottom to prevent absconding, if needs be then a piece over the entrance is plenty for a a couple of days and just leave them to it for 3 -4 weeks. It doesn't require or need checking every few days or every week.

 

[tchu]

For how long did you stay at the hive when she flew ?
From my experience they don't fly far may be about 10 metre's or so away and usually return within 10 - 20 mins, hopefully you stayed at the hive for long enough as she will use you as the landmark for orientating too.

Just under 10 minutes I believe

 

[tchu]

Tbh too much fiddling and not really necessary to use a QX bottom to prevent absconding, if needs be then a piece over the entrance is plenty for a a couple of days and just leave them to it for 3 -4 weeks. It doesn't require or need checking every few days or every week.

Thanks. I put the excluder in as per my mentor’s instructions. He did say 3 days but because I couldn’t do any beekeeping on the third day then I took the excluder out today which makes 2 days with the excluder in in total. Did I mess everything up for not leaning the excluder for 3 days?

 

[user 819]

For now leave alone for 2 or 3 days, hopefully she knows best and has returned. For insurance insert a frame of eggs & young young brood only and don't do anything else. Leave for 5 - 7 days and just only check that one frame, if no QC's on that one frame close them up and leave well alone as the VQ will be in residence.

Don't hunt for the VQ just carry out the minimum needed to assess if QR with the inserted frame.

 

[user 819]

Not all mentors advice is always good however good the intentions are, no need to disturb them by using a QX under when the simple answer if doing so is use a small piece over the entrance on the front. It is fiddling that doesn't need to occur, it is like shook swarming part of BBKA mantra and something I used to hear at the LBKA apiary along with the QX under the BB.

 

[user 819]

Your problems of VQ taking flight is/are down to unnecessary fiddling and out of date practices. Now you have to carry out two extra checks/fiddling to ensure that they are hopefully QR, that's is if they decide enough is enough and don't abscond.

 

[tchu]

For now leave alone for 2 or 3 days, hopefully she knows best and has returned. For insurance insert a frame of eggs & young young brood only and don't do anything else. Leave for 5 - 7 days and just only check that one frame, if no QC's on that one frame close them up and leave well alone as the VQ will be in residence.

Don't hunt for the VQ just carry out the minimum needed to assess if QR with the inserted frame.

Thanks for that.

So in 3 days I go back - I suppose ideally outside of mating hours - to put a frame with eggs/young larvae in and leave it for another week and then check that frame only.

 

[tchu]

Not all mentors advice is always good however good the intentions are, no need to disturb them by using a QX under when the simple answer if doing so is use a small piece over the entrance on the front. It is fiddling that doesn't need to occur, it is like shook swarming part of BBKA mantra and something I used to hear at the LBKA apiary along with the QX under the BB.

What sort of small piece? Never seen/heard about it

 

[tchu]

Your problems of VQ taking flight is/are down to unnecessary fiddling and out of date practices. Now you have to carry out two extra checks/fiddling to ensure that they are hopefully QR, that's is if they decide enough is enough and don't abscond.

Wish I’d known this before

 

[tchu]

Not all mentors advice is always good however good the intentions are, no need to disturb them by using a QX under when the simple answer if doing so is use a small piece over the entrance on the front. It is fiddling that doesn't need to occur, it is like shook swarming part of BBKA mantra and something I used to hear at the LBKA apiary along with the QX under the BB.

So what’s not good about using a qx under if removing it doesn’t involve opening the hive

 

[user 819]

What sort of small piece? Never seen/heard about it

Ask about for an old QX or buy a new one cut a piece off big enough to go over the entrance and a fix it with drawing pins to the entrance.
Make life easy and try thinking about simple ways of doing a task.

 

[tchu]

Ask about for an old QX or buy a new one cut a piece off big enough to go over the entrance and a fix it with drawing pins to the entrance.
Make life easy and try thinking about simple ways of doing a task.

Thanks - definitely for next time!

 

[E&MBees]

Ask about for an old QX or buy a new one cut a piece off big enough to go over the entrance and a fix it with drawing pins to the entrance.
Make life easy and try thinking about simple ways of doing a task.

Various of the bee equipment suppliers sell metal qx without the surrounding frame. You can cut them up into pieces with tin snips.

 

[user 819]

Thanks for that.

So in 3 days I go back - I suppose ideally outside of mating hours - to put a frame with eggs/young larvae in and leave it for another week and then check that frame only.

Yes just a frame with E''s & Y/L only, no fiddling otherwise with the colony. Shake the bees off the frame you replace (check said removed frame first for the VQ) just in case.

 

[user 819]

So what’s not good about using a qx under if removing it doesn’t involve opening the hive

What's not good is new beeks as your self asking what to do next when you have created a potential problem (due to poor mentoring), removing QX from under a hive may not mean opening up but still needs the hive to be lifted off the floor. Potentially VQ could be on the QX or may without being seen get squashed when sitting the hive on the floor again.

You may be fortunate and your VQ flew away and got mated.

 

[user 819]

Various of the bee equipment suppliers sell metal qx without the surrounding frame. You can cut them up into pieces with tin snips.

Exactly.

 

[tchu]

Various of the bee equipment suppliers sell metal qx without the surrounding frame. You can cut them up into pieces with tin snips.

Could it be plastic? I have a spare plastic one