Question on my new hive

[beerman]

I know you are supposed to wait a week to open your hive, tomorrow will be one week, but I go out today and I usually see bees coming and going. Today I wait and wait and don't see one bee, I put my ear to the hive and don't hear anything. I take off the top and look in the top feeder, nothing, I take off the top feeder and see a lot of bees in the middle frames and notice the new queen is out of the box. I close it back up and come inside. Does this sound OK?
I know tomorrow I am supposed to take out frames and look for eggs but with my small amount of bees and the trouble I have had should I wait 2 weeks?

Thanks
Brian

[harvey]

I don't know how you could stand to wait two weeks,  My problem or the problem I cause the bees is getting in there to often.  If you only have a small number of bees this is probably your last chance on this hive?  I am thinking waiting a couple of weeks won't hurt nothing.  You really don't have an action plan if you go in there now and don't see eggs do you?   As long as she has comb to lay in waiting shouldn't hurt nothing at all.  Don't think I could stand it though.

[harvey]

I have a hive that I put a queen in last monday.  Three days ago!  I want to check right now but am forcing myself to wait a couple more days.  I am scared they will not accept her and for all I know I may have had a virgin queen in there?  I spread honey and wax from the existing queenless colony on the queen cage and used a mix of honey, pollen and wax to fill the cork hole.  We will see if they accept her and if she is out Sunday the 4th,  I have my fingers crossed.  Just this one hive I have had problems with.  (Probably generated by me) It was a swarm that I overwintered well, lost a queen,  bought a nuc,  shook bees out and installed nuc,  lost the queen or possible they superseded her and I didn't notice.  Thought I saw two very small queen cells but not sure, next inspection they were not there.  Now I bought a good queen,  Installed her three days ago and am dieing to check on her but will wait till sunday.  I need to learn to inspect less.  I also need to put the frames that I take out either on a sheet or in another box when I pull them.  I may have lost the queen by just sitting a frame on the ground next to the hive?  Never know but am learning better practices all the time.

[beekeeper1756]

Harvey,

Hey, I'm with you.  I learn something new each time I go out to the hives and spend time with the girls.  Tons of little thinks, like what you are talking about.

On the bee hive with little activity, I have had some hives do that.  When they are queenless, they are edgy, nervous and fly alot, bumping into my veil.  When the queen is released, it appears like almost all of the activity at the entrance practically stops.  I took the top off of the hive, just like you expressed and all the bees were moving slowly across the tops of the frames, all busy working.  The new queen had been released for one single 24 hr. period.  A guy with me said "Momma done set down the house rules", meaning, the released queen put them all to work.  They acted like they had a purpose in life.

How did your inspection go, you never said?

Good luck.