Help! My queen...

mvanek · May 02, 2010, 06:52:17 PM

I installed a hive 4 days ago...my queen is on the ground just outside of the hive with about 20 bees around her. I haven't heard of this...any suggestions? Is this a good or bad thing? My queen is not clipped, but the rest of the bees seem to be accepting the hive as they have brought pollen back. Also, there was a small group just like this outside of the hive yesterday, though I didn't look close enough to see if the queen was there.

Help!

Thank you.

Jahjude · May 02, 2010, 07:01:16 PM

Show ur location to fellow forum members plz.
Catch queen and replace in hive if it happens again u could cage her for few days or use queen excluder to keep her in until she's settled and laying ;) Good-luck

mvanek · May 02, 2010, 07:07:21 PM

Thanks Jahjude. I saw this other post on the forum (topic,8798.0.html) and put her at the entrance and she walked back in. I'll keep your advice in mind if it happens again...hopefully, it won't! :)

Jahjude · May 02, 2010, 07:38:29 PM

did she already start laying??

mvanek · May 02, 2010, 09:21:27 PM

Not sure yet...I am planning to go in for the first time in 3 days (a week after install). I just checked again and everything seems to be ok from the outside with everyone settling in for the evening.

Jahjude · May 02, 2010, 10:02:59 PM

Wow,nice feeling isn't it??Always a great feeling to see the things that are expected of them ;)

AllenF · May 02, 2010, 10:17:48 PM

Were they a package hive? I would give the queen a couple of weeks to see if she is laying. Don't panic early.

mvanek · May 03, 2010, 07:16:14 PM

Thanks all! This is my first time doing all of this and the thought that I might do something wrong and harm all of the bees is weighing on me! Everything seems back to normal from the outside...guess I'll have to wait to see how things look on the inside.

Allen, yes, it was a package hive. I will try to be patient now. :-D