Well, OK, two very experienced beeks, Jim and Bush both have seen fly off during inspections, so take their advice, not mine. Again, must be my genetics: occasionally I will mark a queen and still no fly offs. I do notice my queens do not like to be handled, but touch is OK, they just move out of the way, not frantic though. I am a geneticist, human genome, not bees,, so I have some knowledge to select and breed for then carefully monitor F1 (first generation)stock. I?ve talked with Dr. Latshaw and Sue Colby, both bee geneticist, each with unbelievable stock of impressive bees. I have stock from Latshaw, queens are $565 each minimum of four. Ya crazy price but if want to avoid fly offs and obtain some calm bees, either Colby or Latshsw stock is the apex.
I have seen nervous queens at a neighbors Apiary that I help out now and then. Come to think of it, I would consider some of those queens to be as described by Jim and Bush that is queens that could easily be fly offs. They are just nervous queens, some are runners on the comb and would even try to hide.
These nervous traits can be bred against if that is ones goal along with any other traits such as: honey production, resistance to disease, fecundity, foraging, against swarming, wing power, smell, gentleness/calm, wintering, fast spring developments, comb production, pollen gathering, tongue length, propololise, capping, brace comb, cleanliness, flight length, hygenic, brood patterns, beetle jailing... Brother Adam did an excellent job detailing the most of the described traits of honey bees to select for. No one bee has it all.
Blessings