Eariler I asked for advice about re-inspecting a queen cage that had alot of wax on it. I had forgotten to check the queens condition before installing. I couldn't stand not knowing so the next day I opened the hive and took out the queen cage and scraped off the wax. I go a glimpse of the queen, she seemed okay, and quickly put everything back and close the hive. Both hives are equally active. I've been watching them closely and they are collecting pollen. I intend to retrieve the queen cages and do a quick inspection in the next day or two depending on the weather so I can't comment yet on wether the queens have both been accepted. What I have noticed about the waxed-queen hive (hive 2) is that there are more drones coming and going. Hive 1 might have 2 or 3 dones maximum at the entrance while hive 2 has had 8 or 9. This is around 1 PM on a sunny day with the temperature in the high 60's. The approximate numbers of bees at the entrance in each case was 30-35. A long setup for my question. Could a high proportion of drones in a package contribute to the behaviour of waxing the queen cage? Also, would excessive drones in a package contribute to queen rejection? Lastly, how many drones is too many in a 3 lb. package and how dies one tell? I'll post the results of my inspection for those who are curious. Thank you to those who provided advice. Jim Moore