Queen release question

[L Daxon]

I hived a new package on Wednesday about dusk.  I got back in this afternoon to see if the queen had been released and she hadn't.  There were lots of bees on the plastic queen cage (no attendants inside).  I shook the exterior bees off and punctured the candy plug all the way through, but didn't get enough candy out for the queen to just walk out.  I was going to take all the candy out, but when I laid the queen cage back on the top of the frames, it was immediately covered with bees again. Then the queen cage fell to the bottom board, so I left it there and just closed everything back up.  I was gloveless and didn't want to reach down in there to get the cage and didn't want to disturb the hive anymore than I already had.

I am worried the bees were being overly aggressive toward the queen cage.  Or is that normal for workers to cover the queen cage like that?  I was trying to see if they were trying to bit the cage but I couldn't really tell.  I would have thought that after the trip here and almost 4 days in the hive, they would be used to her scent.

Since the cage in now on the bottom board, I can pull it out in the morning with a hook tool to see if 1) she is still alive and/or 2) if I can just release her into the entrance.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[BlueBee]

I think it's time to sink or swim at this point.  I would open the cage so the queen can vamoose.  You've waited plenty long enough.  By this time she should be accepted unless there is another queen in with your bees.  If there is another queen in there, they will probably kill your queen before she even gets out of the cage.  If they kill her, I suppose that might be a good sign in a way....  good luck.

[Michael Bush]

Look for behavior.  Are they biting the cage?  They are always interested in the queen...