Timetable on new queen release.

[Lysador]

I installed a package this year and the queen that came with the package is gone.  I'm not sure by what means she is gone, but it's pretty obvious that she's not there.  The bees have a roar when I open the hive, smoke doesn't calm them, they've only bothered to draw out 3 frames of comb in a few weeks, they seem unmotivated and lazy.  In addition, the queen was marked and there are no marked bees in the hive. 

I ordered a new queen to put back in the hive, I'm only working with one hive at the moment, so I don't have the option of adding a frame of eggs and letting the bees raise their own queen.  Plus, I'd like to get her laying as soon as possible and wouldn't want to wait the time to raise the queen, have her mate, and then start laying.  So my question is this, I assume the bees are looking for a queen and will be more willing to accept the new queen, but what is the process for adding the new queen.  Should I leave in the cork and come back in a day or two and release the cork, or should I just do the candy release that I did with the package the first time.  Should I worry about the bees killing off the new queen or are they going to be so excited that a new monarch is in town that they'll accept her with open arms/wings/legs?

[AllenF]

Just how many weeks have you had the package?    When do you expect the queen to come in?    When she comes in, stick her in the hive with the cork out of the cage.   Let them eat the candy out to release her and I bet things will be fine.

[Lysador]

Just how many weeks have you had the package?    When do you expect the queen to come in?    When she comes in, stick her in the hive with the cork out of the cage.   Let them eat the candy out to release her and I bet things will be fine.

About three weeks now.  The queen will be here in two days.  I got concerned on my last inspection and ordered the queen as a precaution, I figured if the old queen was still in there I wouldn't have to install the new queen, and worst case I would just be out the cost of the queen.  I really don't think that the queen is still there though.

[AllenF]

Something to remember,   eggs are really, really hard to see on new white comb.     Caged queen can take up to 2 weeks to start to lay. 
Let us know when that new queen starts work in the hive. 

[Michael Bush]

I'm a skeptic when it comes to queenlessness.  Most suspected queenlessness is due to a virgin who isn't laying yet.  If there is a virgin, which I always suspect, they will not accept the new queen.  If there is no queen, they may have laying workers by now and still may not accept her.  If they don't have laying workers and they are actually queenless, they will probably accept her readily enough.  But a frame of eggs is cheaper insurance.  It will stave off laying workers, give them brood when they need some, give them the resources to make a queen if they need a queen, won't interfere with the virgin if they have one and won't get a perfectly good queen killed if they have a virgin and won't cost anything if you have another hive...

http://www.bushfarms.com/beespanacea.htm