What if Queen trapped above QE?

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HighlandWozza

New Bee
Joined
Jul 1, 2010
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Location
Highlands of Scotland
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
3
I have a hive of very aggressive bees. I had a super on top of the brood box with no QE (in order to encourage bees to draw out super foundation.) Now, with half the super drawn and the sun shining at last, I wanted to add a QE.

Went to look for queen in super - no luck (but saw eggs), so started looking in BB - bees freaked and I gave up after three frames. So I have stuck the QE on anyway and of course I'm now worried that the Q is in the super.

My plan is to wait about five days and then go and see if there are any eggs in the super. Is that ok? Will the Q come to any harm in that time if she is in there?

Any thoughts and advice welcome. Thanks.
 
I would never do the allow Q up top but thats just me, appraoch hive on a good day around noon with half the bees out at work. Take super off and open it up 20m-30m away and find the queen (take your time, catch her) - all flying bees will go back to hive location and should make it easier to handle.

Double layer up and sort em out asap.
 
What if? You will simply end up with a super or part-super of brood. 3 days should be enough if you are good at spotting eggs.

simple - if she is not in the super (or if very doubtful I would have shaken most of the bees into the hive), popped on the Q/E and closed up. No point searching for her in the brood box, was there?

Most of the bees up there would likely be house bees if in the middle of a warm and sunny day with only eggs up there.

Regards, RAB
 
hopefully when you smoked she would have gone down

no short term problem with her in the super, remember some run brood and a half

dont know why they went ballistic, could be weather

but if she laying in the super you could try to get her down by removing the QE and smoking the super,

then checking by placing the super frames in another super one by one as you check, shake into brood, re check and put in second super...if they go ballistic cover 75% to 100% of hive with a manipulation cloth, folding it back only to shake bees in ( not now recomended due to disease transfer but can calm them...?tea towel works and wash it after use)

then place the second super over the Q ex
 
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