Bees: A new queen?

I am not exactly sure, but I think I may have seen a new queen's orientation flight. Generally, mid to late afternoon is orientation flying. There is always a ton of activity around the hive as new foragers are flying loops to identify their surroundings, allowing them to find their home. Even though the queen will only leave the hive for mating, swarming or death, she still needs to return from her mating flight. Hence, she must possess the same mental map of landmarks that the foragers have.

When I went to collect the eggs, I noticed the flurry of activity around the hive. I squatted down to watch for a minute or two. During that time, I saw numerous drones flying in and out of the hive. I also swear that I saw a queen fly in. Of course, they move quick and there was a lot of activity and there has been a LOT of activity in the last few days triggered by (I assume) a new nectar source. I plan to inspect the hive later today, but I don't know if I will get a chance.

In other semi-bee news, I have a noxious weed in my yard and garden. It is a neat little flower which looks almost orchid-like. It is called jewel weed. If you've never seen or heard of it, it has orange flowers which are apparently great sources of nectar. Every year, the hummingbirds hit my yard from July to early September for these flowers. From what I read, the bees like them too. The jewel weed in my yard has just started blooming, so I expect my bees will enjoy that.

Update: Here is a photo of Jewel Weed. It's not great, but it is surprisingly hard to take a picture in poor light, in a breeze, while holding a 22 month old.