Been wondering if this was actually a virgin queen who took off on a mating flight the first chance she got 
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Thank you so much for letting us know! I was stressing out for you, wondering how you would solve it. Did you mark her? Makes it much easier to find her next time if you did. 
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hahaha @Eva thatâs so funny. I was smiling watching her fly, and appreciating the moment wondering the same thing.
I walked away thinking, itâs not too late in the day for that sort of activity? It was 5pm, sun goes down about 9pm at the moment.
However, 2 days later I was wondering if she would ever come back!?! Hahaha.
Thanks Dawn. @Dawn_SD shinny green dot. Iâm so relieved. Maybe I will stop thinking about them 24/7, maybe only 12/7 
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Myricals do happen. It would be really long odds on a queen that panics and flies off to return to the hive. You were really lucky.
Cheers
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Hahaha⊠Long live the queen! 
It made my day.
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I recall a few years ago helping a new bee keeper with her 2nd inspection, her first inspection went pear shaped as she had a bit if a panic attack seeing so many bees. When we got into the brood I looked for the queen to show her and when she saw her the queen for no apparent reason fell from the frame onto the ground. We both watched her aimlessly walking around on the concrete, After a minute I placed a glass over her and slid a piece of paper through to lift in onto the brood frames and remove the paper.
I often wondered if she was particularly stupid, she made no attempt to fly the 25 cmâs to the entrance, or anywhere else. Makes me wonder if the queen is the brightest light bulb in the building or becomes just an egg laying machine. At one time she did a mating flight and returned to the hive, but as a mated queen she didnât have a clue what to do to get back to her hive.
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Hahha⊠I think you have a point there Peter. Queens are so overrated, at least one of mine sure is.
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@Peter48 @Numbatino Joking aside, before swarming, bees do have to âslim downâ a laying queen by depriving her of most of her food for a week or so. If they donât, she doesnât fly well, if at all. Her ovarioles develop hugely after mating and during laying, as evidenced by an expanding and lengthening abdomen. If she is a very well-mated queen, it may be impossible for her to fly until she has lost some weight. 
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Thanks Dawn for bring us back in line!
Yes⊠isnât evolution a most wonderful thing⊠and interesting how all this change in behaviour is triggered within the hive?
That wasnât really my intent. I just wanted people to understand the bee biology facts. The hive decides what the queen can or canât do. She doesnât rule, she does what they need. If they need her to fly, she will be put on a diet if there is time.
I think it is great to have fun and joke, but it is also good to know the underlying biology, so that we can manage our hives better and understand why things go wrong sometimes.
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I cannot agree more with that Dawn. I think the Flow crowd in general fall in that category and are in it for the fascination and biology of bees. I know I am.
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Glad you took my comment in the sense of humor it was intended Dawn. 
Cheers
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