Fly Away Queen

[lookoutwest]

I installed two packages into hives with the queen snug between frames of each hive.  Five days later neither queen had been released. In the first hive as I was releasing the queen, she lit out like a rocket. Sure learned a lesson there.  Is there a chance that she might have went back into the hive or is she lost for good?  Your thoughts!

[Kathyp]

you are not the first this year to have done that.  you can find the posts with a search, but as i recall, the rec was to stand there with the top open for 10 min or so and most likely she would return.  i'd keep an eye on things and if all looks well, do a good check in a few days and see what you find. if you have to order a new queen it will only set you back a few days, but she might well be in there.

[bee-nuts]

Dont know what to tell ya.  Maybe, maybe not.  From what I hear sometime ya sometimes no, sometimes they fly in the wroing hive and get balled.  What I will tell ya is that everytime I hear this story, Im glad I get nucs instead of packages.  I do make my own nucs too with introduced mated queens but have not had this problem.  Although when I make a nuc I know I took mostly nurse bees that should accept a queen easily enough.  When you get a package you get whatever they shook in, maybe more forage bees than nurse for all you know.  Maybe that queen took off with her life in mind?  You did take the cork out before you put her in between frames, right?