Thanks to everyone who answered my question if this has ever happened
to them. It may not be such the oddity that I originally speculated that it
was when the queen came back into the hive after closing it up. I've
requeened quite a few hives of my own and for others and have never this
happen before. Most of the time when I am making splits and leave them
setting queenless for three days before introducing the new queen, they will
accept the new queen immediatly and begin to fan her pheromone throughout
the hive. If such action occurs, I will release the queen into the hive. I
always watch the queen for a short span of time to ensure that she does not
get balled. I' ve only seen a queen get balled if introduced in this manner
only if it is to early after making a split or if the queen was accidently
transferred to the split. This is what astonished me-Queen in cage for five
days and take flight-Queen in cage for no days and dive down into the hive
body to join the colony and live. After being banked, shipped, caged in the
hive, could've the biological clock been ticking for too long? Yes, because
it was a virgin queen. Was she frightened? How could she be? She had been in
the hive for over five days. Did she follow the attendant bees? No, most of
them were dead or had joined the other bees in the hive body after opening
the cage.
I am in the process of requeening a hive which superceded itself. I did
remove all of the attendents from the 3hole cage. It was quite easy. I'd
just cover the cork hole with my finger when the queen got close and open it
up for the workers to escape, laid the cage screen down on the top bars of
the first deep hive body. Wish my NWC luck!!!

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