But, with my first package many years ago, I screwed up and released the queen right after shaking the bees and all was well. That was on un-drawn foundation, so it seems that that might not be an issue, especially when you consider feral swarms set up shop with nothing.

So why is it being taught? I understand the reason if you are installing a new queen in an established colony  for proper queen acceptance, but not in a package where the bees have been with the queen long enough to have already accepted her.

My guess is commercial operators do not bother with the three+ day "quarantine" with packages.

Why not get everything off to an early start?



Easy one to answer!   You touched on it. I had a customer who picked up 25 packages,  she called and said 3 absconded.  In conversation turns out the direct released. 

The " package " is actually a swarm  and those bees running the screen all the time are "scout bees"   so when you hive them those scout bees will go and look for a better place.   

A confined queen greatly reduces the risk of them all deciding to move until some level of comb building and hive acceptance has taken place.



Charles

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