One Week Into the Hive Duplication...

So far so good.  The duplication hive is now part of the colony's daily life.  I took a peek inside the duplication hive and there was heavy traffic inside the tube.  Some bees are exploring the outside of the tube.  I think there is one bee sealing the gaps between the tube and the entrance hole of the hive.  Let's see if there will be a build-up of propolis in the next few days.  There is also one bee walking on the platform but very close to the tube.  So the bees are exploring, which is good to see.  I've read an article about a hive duplication process in which the bees started annexing the duplication box as their storage room within two weeks.  But the actual building of brood chamber may take as long as 3 years. That is too long for me to wait. If nothing much happen in two weeks, I think I will gradually start removing the orange tube inside.  My plan is to cut the middle of the tube to create a very small gap.  I will then gradually increase the gap as bees learn to move across the platform.  Hopefully, I will end up with two short tubes at either end of the the hive.

Reference:

Eduction Method (Hive Duplication) PDF file

Natural Hive Duplication (or Eduction): An Alternative Method of Propagating Australian Stingless Bees