Help and ooops on what happened installing package

[sandhya]

Help (I cross posted this in case someone sees in on another forum)
well, long story short, and because I am a spaz I wount get into how it happened, spilt milk, cant unring a bell, or close the bard door after the horse.. :-X.you get my point...well here ya go...
My queen was like  :mrgreen: "so out of here" when I installed a package today. I will not elaborate, lets just say, since this was my first package, and I am pablam fed installing nuks...like watching a favorite christmas ornament break, my queen flew off when the cork, well, you know...umm, well, lets just say by the time I realized the wrong cork was being removed, she knew it and flew out of her cage. :?

Now,
question number 1
What are the chances she stayed close by and did not fly to hong kong. And will stay close the hive and will retreat in there as she watches everyone else this afternoon, (I know, no one has a crystal ball)  :(

and question number 2
if I dont see any comb being drawn by the gals by say Monday (This is Saturday) should I just go ahead and put a new queen in there (of course cage and all - hello) assuming Queen said, Hell yes and flew away today.

just a couple questions.

[Kirk-o]

you should repost and say exactly what happened.I think your queen is not in the Hive.Thst will detrmine what to do.Just repost and clearly state what happened
kirko

[sandhya]

I unplugged the wrong stopper.., i.e., not the candy one...and before I started to even have the reflexes of a person much younger than myself, she flew away. I was hunched over the hive getting ready to hang the basket between the frames...
okay..middle name stupid.
I will feed them tomarrow (and see if anyone is actually still in the hive, and then hopefully get a new queen on monday...s&#%)

[Kirk-o]

O K the only way to know if she came back is to inspect the hive .You should do that the next morning.If no queen get a new one ASAP and put her in.I know Coma Apiaries in Northern Cal will express mail one to you next day they have a web site.Good luck
kirko

[LET-CA]

Or, if you have the time, give Sacramento Beekeeping Supplies a phone call at (916) 451-2337.  I think they have queens in stock right now.  You could drive down and pick up a new one.  Good luck

[sandhya]

by the sounds of it, the earliest and realistically most ASAP would be Monday AM...since I wont know till tomarrow if I can even get another or if she is in there.
It will be a miracle if she is, and I can only hope the girls are well fed enough and happy enough to stick around till Monday AM   Cross your fingers/wings and appendeges... :'(

[sandhya]

thanks and by the way...
yea this was my first queen cage...have had bee's off an on for 10
years but I will be honest, I thought the cap I took off was the (plastic cage)
cork...and boy did that girl know that I was stupid or boy was she so
hell bent on leaving my slow ass fingers couldnt replace it fast enough.
I am crossing everything to hope that she did come flying back to the
hive, I was surprised that not all the bee's took off looking for her,
but I left the empty cage in the hive, so they probably thought she
was still there. Oh well, live and learn, life is a classroom after all.
So, I will go in tomarrow, with a ton more sugar water, keep them fat
and sugared up till monday when I can hopefully get me a new queen.
ANd this time she is staying in her cage in that box for a couple
days. That is of course, IF my super fast and smart queen did not come
back to the hive. I hope she did, I mean , I didnt think bee queens
didnt want to leave without their friends and travel alone...I will
learn from this, so everyone cross everything and hope she is smarter
than Me!
some people are telling me (and hopefully not just giving me hope in a hopeless situation) that she really had no where to go, and if she smells her girls at that hive she will return...
I guess the question is now, if she did and if she didnt I hope my gals stick around long enough for me to give them a new leader!!!


So I guess this begs the question...how long will the bee's stay in the hive if the queen is not there to encourage them along...? i.e.how much time do I have to requeen?

[Kirk-o]

You are ok I have made worse mistakes believe me.You be ok good luck to you Kirko

[Cindi]

Sandhya.  Don't beat yourself up so badly.  YOu are not stupid, you did not do stupid stuff.  We all do things in our lives that we look back on and see what the error was.  You had stuff happen that was too bad.  But just don't get so made at yourself and call yourself stupid.  I cannot stress that enough.  You are human, we are all human and to "err is human".  Remember that.  Things will all work out in the wash.  That is how our lives go, be happy that things went good in other areas of your hiving.  You have a wonderful day, think positive about the days to come and have a great life, best of health to all.  Cindi