Hi Everyone,
I always direct release the queen when installing a package.  First I spray the bees well with 1:1 sugar water so they are nicely sticky and dump them into a hive body with 4 frames removed.  To release the queen I simply give her a squirt of sugar water through the screen and pull one of the staples holding the screen in place with my hive tool.  I then attempt to allow the queen to walk out unto one of the combs ( or foundation if that is what you are using).  Once she is on the comb/foundation the next frame is carefully added followed by the others and the whole thing is closed up with a feeder on top.  I only check the feeder and refill if needed for the first week or so.  After at least a week the colony is examined to verify the presence of a laying queen and brood.

As you noticed the queen is already accepted by the bees if she is alive in her cage so direct release just seems the best way to go.  They usually seem to be laying by the next day or so judged from the age of the brood a week later.

blane



******************************************
Blane White
MN Dept of Agriculture
[log in to unmask]