New experience with a homemade queen

[Tyro]

Three weeks ago, I cut three frames of eggs, brood and bees out of my best hive and decided to let them raise a queen.

This morning, I look out my window and there is a pile of bees (maybe the size of a baseball) on the pallet immediately next to the nuc (maybe not 6 inches from the entrance of the nuc).  Since I don't know what they are doing, I suit up and go take a look.  There were plenty of bees still in the nuc.  When I looked closely at the pallet - there is a queen running around in the mass of bees.  I took my eye off of her for a minute - and I couldn't find her again.

After about 10 minutes, the clump of bees dispersed and, I assume, went back into the nuc.

Does anyone know what was going on?  There weren't any eggs in the nuc yet.  Was this leaving for a mating flight, returning from a mating flight?

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Mike

[D Coates]

I'd bet mating flight.  Not sure though.