Hey group...
I have a few hives from cutouts and decided to expand a little.  I
picked up two packages Friday and installed them Saturday morning in
new equipment.  When I removed the cork plug from one of the queen
cages, I was shocked to see no candy plug, just the queen staring back
at me!  I put the cork back in and hung the cage on a frame.  The
other cage had no candy either!  Is this common?

Anyway, I released both queens manually this (Monday) morning.  This
is the only package experience I've had, but I thought there was
supposed to be candy plugs.  I'm wondering if the queen was confined
too long and ate the plug????  (How many days can you keep a queen in
a cage?)

I put top feeders on both colonies, and there is a lot of activity....
so far so good.

Oh, the guy I got the packages from had driven them down from Mid- to
Southern-California Thursday night.

Thanks in advance for comments!
Gary

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