Received my two packages of Italians today, installed mostly successfully. There was no strap attached to the queen box, just a metal disk (about the size of a half dollar) stapled over the end with the candy. On the first one, I removed the disk and tried to stick the box firmly between two frames, but the box quickly dropped into the pile of bees on the floor of the hive. I don't see any way to attach it, and I can't just set it on top horizontally, because of the top feeder (filled). Should I just wait the few days and retrieve it then? Presumably, I could then lift the box off the bottom board and just pick up the queen box.
Learning from the issue with the first one, on the second, I twisted the disk so that it came free of one staple, but left the other intact. Then I could bend back the disk on itself to make the candy accessible and also provide a tab to hang on the top of the frames.
When I take out the queen boxes in three days or so, should I inspect the frames as well? or just get in and out as quickly as possible?
Tonight will also be my first beekeeper's meeting, so quite a bee-filled day for me!