48 hours after hive set up I’m much more nervous and less confident than I was before. Today I checked the hive to see if the queen had been freed. More candy has been eaten away but she was not out. I made the decision to pull the cork from the other end of her little cage and introduce her through the opening at the bottom by sliding the cage, open side in, half way into the hive. I think this might have been the wrong decision; I probably should have waited another 24 hours to do this. I seem to have read too many introductory books and am getting my facts mixed up. Risks I now face: will the colony accept the queen or kill her, did she somehow manage to escape and fly off before I got the cage in the bottom opening? I vow not to open the hive for 48 hours to let things settle down and then see how the cluster of bees looks across the frames and if I see any evidence of eggs. Patience young Beekeeper.
Side note: I am using a hive top box feeder to feed the bees sugar water. I am not a fan. It is clunky and difficult to get on and off without a lot of spillage. Must be a better design or different method. Though, when feeding a lot of syrup the box is nice because it doesn’t have to be refilled so often.
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