Death of a Queen

Four thousand bees arrived a couple weeks ago in a small wire cage with the Queen in her own private suite blocked off from the other bees by candy. The bees slowly eat the candy, allowing her to escape and giving time for the bees to get used to their new Queen's scent. Or at least that's what supposed to happen.

Dave built a sweet top bar hive in the back of his property along a stream for the little buggers. We shook the bees into their new house, along with the Queen still trapped in her tiny cage. I checked on her two days later and she was dead! Apparently there is a small cork that you have to take off to give the bees access to the candy. Bummed out, we ordered a new Queen via FedEx and left the sad little corpse of the first Queen in the hive. Two days later the new Queen and her retinue arrived but alas, when I went to take out the old Queen, she was alive and well! And, a bit angry to still be stuck in her cage. I let her out and the bees immediately surrounded her, which I hope is a good sign. I had no idea that bees played dead but apparently when the temperature is below 50 degrees their muscles freeze and they can't move.