Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[jlmissouri]

Today I got my second package of bees for this year and I have a possible issue. The queen cage was laying at the bottom of the package cage. When I dug it out installing the package it was empty, it seems the bees got the queen out. I didn't find her dead, I didn't find her at all so it is possible she is with the group.

I went ahead and installed the bees. They had built some comb on the syrup can in the package, and my suspicion is the queen is loose in the group, but I cannot be sure. What would you do? This is only my second package, so I don't have much experience.

According to tracking the bees were in transit for 5 days, so I hope the queen is free and accepted, but I don't know.

[zaunreiter]

The queen is in the cluster of beee most possible. Simply wait some days after the installation if you will find brood. Look for brood after a week.

[Dexter's shed]

how is your first package doing?

are both hives the same? dimensions etc?

if the same, and your first lot are doing well, you could use a test frame, take some eggs/larvae from the first hive and add to your second, if within a day or two they start making queen cells, you'll know

[jlmissouri]

Thanks, I am leaning that way as well. My first package is doing great, although I housed them in a top bar hive and this package went in a Langstroth hive. I wanted to compare the two styles.

My top bar hive is a Tanzanian style with Medium Langstroth dimensions so that I have the ability to exchange parts between my hives. Swapping over some brood is a good idea, although unfortunately the bees in my top bar hive are not following my guides and are building across the bars.

Is it standard practice for for a dead queen to be replaced for free on shipped bees? Should I contact the company I bought my package from in case I need a queen?

[MikeRobinson]

If the queen is, in fact, dead, then any reputable vendor of packages will promptly replace her at no cost. However, just because you can't locate her doesn't mean she's dead. Wait a week or so and look for brood. If you see any, she's in there someplace.

[jlmissouri]

Thanks for everyones advice. I inspected the hive today and there are eggs so the queen made it. Now I don't have to worry about that.

[MikeRobinson]

If you happen to be picking-up a package at a store, it's a good idea to drop the box onto the table from a height of half-a-foot ... (thump!!). All of the bees will drop to the bottom of the box for a few seconds, giving you the chance to get a good look at Her Majesty and her Consorts.

When you take the box out of the hive and are ready to put it into your shirt-pocket for a few minutes, a quick snap of the wrist will dislodge the hangers-on.

Neither of these moves will hurt the bees in the slightest.