# CRAP, HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN



## K9bees (Apr 8, 2015)

Was inspecting a new hive that O put a package in on April 24, I thought the queen was out of the cage after the 3rd day. Just went in and checked the frames and room the cage when I saw she was still inside, alive and well and the entrance was blocked by dead nurse bees. I pulled the cage out and pulled the screen off to release her onto the frames and she flew out. Will she return or do I need a new queen?


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## sakhoney (Apr 3, 2016)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

look around for bees gathering around like a swarm - there you will find her if she does not return


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## Vectorjet (Feb 20, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

you may have other problems besides the queen that flew away. The package is over a month old, even if the queen comes back or you get a new queen you are left with old bee's and declining population for at least another three weeks. Unless you have other hives to draw resources from, this hive will have a hard time surviving.


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

She might come back.

Just had a similar experience today. Had new queen in a super with a screened bottom board on top of the hive I wanted to re queen. Been about a week because of rain so everyone should be smelling the same. I was planning to insert the frame she was on between two frames of brood in the big hive. Took the super off and marked the queen and thought she would stay on the frames. She came out the small bottom entrance and crawl to the top of the hive and rather than going down flew off.

I had located the original queen and place her and a couple of frames in a NUC box.

So left everything open and came back about an hour and half later. I decided to do a thorough search of every frame before I put the old queen back in. Located the new queen in the bottom deep of the big hive. So they do come back!

You really could use a couple of frames of bees with capped near ready to emerge and uncapped brood. Your numbers are dwindling and bees may well decide to supercede your queen.


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## ljbee (Apr 27, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

I read on here where someone said to leave the cover off so the bees can do their nasnov thing and help the queen to find the scent easier.


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## K9bees (Apr 8, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

I do have 3 other hives so I will have some resources to help. I just went out to look and there are bees still going into the hive, but I forgot to remove the queen cage it is on the groind in front of the hive and some bees are hanging put on it now.


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## hex0rz (Jan 14, 2014)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

...wait, excuse my ignorance.

But a laying queen can fly? I thought that was only possible when they swarm or abscond. Not in just a general sense..


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## Vectorjet (Feb 20, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

She may have been a mated queen, but she hasn't been a laying queen in over a month, trapped in the queen cage.


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

This wasn't a laying queen. Queen bees won't lay in a cage. LOL
You meant a mated queen I know.
After that long in a cage I would say she has lost plenty of weight (obviously) even though the bees were feeding her. I'd suspect it would still shrink some from not laying for a week.
My guess is say bye bye to that queen. It happens to all of us and it happens more than once to some of us. Don't ask me how I know that.
Just two days ago I was hiving a swarm that had moved into one of my traps. It had started building enough comb for storing pollen, nectar and the queen was laying. There were plenty of eggs and some larvae of 3 day age max. I saw the queen (on the last frame of course) and put her in the good old one hand queen marking holder which is perhaps the best thing I've purchased other than my suit. I marked the queen and opened the holder and set it down on the frames. She walked out and took flight. In the past I have caught queens that have done this by snatching them out of the air. I decided this is not a good idea so I let her fly. I could hear her distinct buzz going around my head and she made a few passes in front of my face. This queen was not in flying form and her flying was slow and she looked like she was not too keen on the effort. I waited maybe a minute and she flew back into the top of the box and disappeared. I guess I'll have to figure what other of my many beekeeping ineptitudes I'll use to kill her .
If the queen in the OP was in flying shape I'd not hold too much hope. Bummer.Let them raise another from your stock. They should be quite ready to do this. Maybe dump a few frames of young bees in to boot with your frame of eggs etc.


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## K9bees (Apr 8, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

I have NO LUCK today. I just went to check the hive and the cage was on the ground covered with bees, I suspect because her scent was all over it. I shook it off on the entrance to the hive and the queen was on the cage and she dropped to the ground. I reach down and pick her to put her inside the hive and BAMM she flees off again! Dang it!


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

put the cage on the entrance, good luck...


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## K9bees (Apr 8, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

That's where I put it, fingers crossed


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## Dominic (Jul 12, 2013)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

Possible, but most of the queens that flew off on me were never to be found again.


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

This is not going to help K9bees, but for those following along maybe it will help next time.
Whenever a queen takes flight such as what happened here, the most important thing is STAND STILL. DO NOT MOVE!!
When the queen was released from the cage, she flew up and then around in circles orienting to the position of origin.
The first and main landmark that she noted WAS YOU!
Now, if you start running around in a panic trying to find her, she is as lost as you because the topography has changed.
Next time, stand still. It's o.k. to look around and try to find her but stay in place.
More often than not you will see her land on the hive or the lid or on you.
If you don't see her within a couple of minutes, then you can slowly and carefully walk around the hive and look.
If you still don't find her, close up the hive and return a few days later and queen-check the hive.
Sometimes they return, land on the frames right under your nose and you don't see it.


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## K9bees (Apr 8, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

Thanks for that info, when she flew off I didn't move for many minutes fpr fear that I might step on her if she was on the ground. I was just out by the hive again and there are a ton of bees on the cage resting on tge entrance. I looked all around the trees and bushes to see any sign of bees congregating together somewhere. The only place is the queen cage. I am not touching it again til they are all off it...lol...I will check inside in a day or two to see if she is in there. If not I am going move some brood into it to see if they make an emergency queen cell. Thanks again.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*



K9bees said:


> Thanks for that info, when she flew off I didn't move for many minutes fpr fear that I might step on her if she was on the ground. I was just out by the hive again and there are a ton of bees on the cage resting on tge entrance. I looked all around the trees and bushes to see any sign of bees congregating together somewhere. The only place is the queen cage. I am not touching it again til they are all off it...lol...I will check inside in a day or two to see if she is in there. If not I am going move some brood into it to see if they make an emergency queen cell. Thanks again.


If it's been a month already you should put eggs in the hive immediately and give them a frame of capped brood if you can spare it. A month old package waiting another month + for the first egg to be laid and another 20-21 days for the first new bee... Go head and crank out the math... It's bleak. Then probably another frame of capped brood when the new queen starts laying.

Good luck!


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## Frgrasso (Dec 18, 2014)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*

I had a queen fly off last year 
When I was trying to mark her,
20mins later she was back in the 
Hive on a brood frame


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## Tim B (Apr 16, 2009)

She will return to the spot where she departed. She may or may not go into the hive. Look around the hive or a limb near the hive. Best to do within ten thirty minutes after losing her.


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## mahobee (Apr 24, 2013)

Time is not on your side. It's happened to me, and she never came back. Next time, release her under the hive box.


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## K9bees (Apr 8, 2015)

Just checked this am....no queen. I moved two frames of brood from one of my other hives in hopes they will raise aqueen....so much for thinking I know what I am doing after my first year was a success...dang


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

I would not attempt to salvage this colony. pretty drastic case of throwing good after bad. given the expected life span of worker bees is 6 weeks you have lost nearly 5 of those already. will there be enough bees surviving to even rear a queen. If so will there be enough bees to rear any of her brood? Maybe dump in some capped brood with the hopes it is emerging nearly immediately. Do that again in about a week.


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## Matt_inSC (May 12, 2015)

*Re: CRAP HELP Queen FLEW OFF WILL IT RETURN*



challenger said:


> I guess I'll have to figure what other of my many beekeeping ineptitudes I'll use to kill her .


I read this line three times and it made me laugh out loud three times. Well said, challenger. Thanks for the Friday morning laugh.:applause:


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Harry's advice was pretty good. Leave the lid off, lay the cage on the top bars and just wait for a bit. They will usually find their way right back to the cage. Depending on what you have to work with a frame or two of brood and switch places with a strong hive might be a pretty good plan though I would probably recage her before I did. 
Putting nurse bees in package queen cages is a poor plan in my mind.


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## K9bees (Apr 8, 2015)

I did put 2 frames with brood, eggs and larva at different stages inside this hive in hopes that they can make a queen. If it does not work, I still have two other hives going strong. I learned a good lesson here that is for certain.


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## Coach62 (Mar 26, 2016)

K9bees said:


> Was inspecting a new hive that O put a package in on April 24, I thought the queen was out of the cage after the 3rd day. Just went in and checked the frames and room the cage when I saw she was still inside, alive and well and the entrance was blocked by dead nurse bees. I pulled the cage out and pulled the screen off to release her onto the frames and she flew out. Will she return or do I need a new queen?


That's why you never "hang" the cage upside down


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