During a hard time of nature such as a forced abscond, (as a SHB take over for one example), does the queen bee leave with the rest of the refugees, or does she go down in doom, (with the ship)?
The reason the bees leave is to give the hive a chance of surviving. There only chance is if they have a queen with them. So yes, she goes with them.
Jim Altmiller
The only abscond I have ever witnessed I assume had the queen with it. It clustered in a tree just as a swarm does. When I checked the hive it left, it had no adult bees and only a little sealed brood, no queen cells were found. There was food on the frames in the brood nest and a partially filled medium super.
In my first couple yrs beeking, I experienced several absconds. I never saw the queen left behind - but she may have already been dead - that part I don't know.
There were always some bees left behind, as well as a partial brood nest, and all the stores. But never the queen - that I saw.
I haven't had an abscond in 3 yrs now.