Package Introduction, Direct Release of Queen

[DCHoneybees]

Conventional wisdom and numerous youtube videos suggest hanging the queen cage between two frames allowing the workers to eat away the candy over time to release the queen.  A few, however, including Michael Bush, advocate directly releasing the queen into the hive and discarding the cage.

One advantage I am told of direct release is more consistent comb shape and production in the absence of the queen cage.  Are there other advantages (faster laying, better acceptance rate) and risks (queen flying, hive abandonment)?  I am installing 45 packages in April and want to nail down my strategy!

Thanks.

[VolunteerK9]

Holy cow! 45 packages? I'm lucky if I can convince the wife for a couple of packages and 1-2 nucs per year  :-D

I've never done a direct release before so I'm not going to be that useful, but my primary concern would be absconding with that many packages at once (might be an invalid concern. Are you doing foundationless on all 45?

[DCHoneybees]

These are 45 packages in hives all over the DC area.  New beekeepers for whom I am installing bees.

And yes, for the most part I am going foundationless in all but a few in the brood chambers.  I will switch to foundation (both thin surplus and plastic) for the honey supers.

[deknow]

we've had good luck with direct releasing the queen when we were not going to be able to come back and check on them.  i don't know if i'd feel so confident if the package had been made up the day before installation, but if you know the bees have been with the queen for a few days i wouldn't be too concerned.

some of the commercial guys dunk the queen cage in warm water before opening the cage (when wet, she can't fly away, and it probably does some scent masking).

if it is a 3 hole wooden cage, just pry off a couple of staples.

i've only had one package ever try to abscond...fortunately in this case the queen was still in the cage, and i poked at the swarm until they returned, then added a frame of brood.  installing so many packages (presumably in many different locations), you might consider putting a queen excluder over the entrance until there is open brood.

deknow

[AllenF]

I have never released a queen immediately upon putting her into the hive.   Always been afraid of something happening to her or the bees leaving out.   I did once have a package swarm out and leave the queen in the cage with about 10 bees in the hive with her.   You are working the bees and turn around and notice a swarm 25 foot high up in a tree.  Check the hives and one is empty.   Got them back into the hive at dark and they stayed.   Maybe they had another queen in the package with the bees? 

[Michael Bush]

>Conventional wisdom and numerous youtube videos suggest hanging the queen cage between two frames allowing the workers to eat away the candy over time to release the queen.  A few, however, including Michael Bush, advocate directly releasing the queen into the hive and discarding the cage.

You can even put Jim Fischer in the group that direct releases.

>One advantage I am told of direct release is more consistent comb shape and production in the absence of the queen cage.

Let's take it step further.  Leaving the cage in will virtually GUARANTEE messed up comb, and in a top bar hive or a foundationless hive that first messed up come will virtually GUARANTEE every single comb in the hive messed up.

Yes she will also start laying sooner, especially if you already have some drawn comb.  I have had them abscond with her still in the cage and see no change in the percentage by releasing her.  I would say in recent years I've seen more of this, where the bees leave the queen behind and move next door instead, but I think that's due to poorly mated queens.  If you install in rainy or cold weather there is less of this kind of drifting and absconding as they have to stay put longer before venturing forth and getting confused and going into the wrong hive...