I built a top bar hive, installed a 3lb package of bees. Hung the queen package from the top bar. I get home today (day 2) an notice most of the bees out gone. The queen cage is covered in bees and she is still alive. They are slowly eating through the candy. No comb is being drawn either, where are all the bees? Temp is 80-90 during the day and 60’s-70’s at night. I have a quart jar of sugar water almost half has been consumed.
Wow, sorry to hear that! I’ve heard that this situation isn’t common, but could mean a couple different things:
- There was another queen loose in the package
- The bees are planning to leave but will return for the queen
Either way, you can take a look for the swarm around your property & neighborhood. Is your supplier close by? If so they may have returned to that location. Contact them & let them know, so they can help out if possible or even offer replacement if you think they shook in an additional queen.
Next time you house bees in your brand new hive, rub some beeswax & put a drop or so of lemongrass oil on your
bars to make it smell more familiar & homey.
Good luck & keep us posted!
1 Like
Thanks, I contacted my supplier and they said the same thing. That I probly had a loose queen in my package. They are going to give men another package. Thanks for the advice
J Taylor
1 Like
Probably there was another colony nearby and they moved in there. If there was another queen, usually the one in the cage ends up dead.
1 Like