This is my first year bee keeping and while inspecting our established hive (Deep brood plus Medium brood , queen excluder and one deep super) I dropped a frame with capped brood honey and pollen and a bunch of bees. I scooped everyone that I could find and put them at the entrance. I didn't see the queen so I'm hoping I got lucky and picked the one frame she WASN'T on. About 20 bees crawled under the hive and are clustered just under the screened ( but not removable) bottom.
Will they find their way back in?. If one happened to be the queen, will she go back in?. And is my correct plan to wait a few days and look for more eggs and larva and be thankful that I got away with this drop.
The girls were very calm about the whole situation. I think I was more excited about the bad handling. They deserve better treatment.
Thanks, Ray
>I scooped everyone that I could find and put them at the entrance.
I'd just let them find their way. You'll do less damage.
>About 20 bees crawled under the hive and are clustered just under the screened ( but not removable) bottom.
>Will they find their way back in?
Probably not. If they were going to they would have, already.
>. If one happened to be the queen, will she go back in?
Probably not, since she hasn't yet.
> And is my correct plan to wait a few days and look for more eggs and larva and be thankful that I got away with this drop.
Odds are you didn't lose the queen. But if she's under the SBB you might want to find out. :) If you have a tray I'd be tempted to brush them off the bottom into the brood box and put the tray in until they settle down and the flyers find their way back.
Along this same line.... I almost dropped a frame today but I caught it before it hit the ground. However, I did crush, with my thumb, a corner of the comb that began leaking honey.
The bees should clean this up and repair it... right?
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid205/p3a4ecfc0f56a1a09913e174b33cf5460/ef2f3d07.jpg) heres a picture of my worst rookie mistake being cleaned up, (so far). There was sugar syrup oozing everywhere! The bees cleaned it up in a day. Not even sticky.
:?
I have now collected a small, 2 gallon plastic pail of honey filled burr comb. I have tried to get the bees to clean it up. I can't even get them to, even when I place some at their entrances. I guess, as long as the Mesquite flow is on they just won't bother even cleaning up. :roll: