I am sorry to hear that Burley. Since we posters here on this topic were talking about it, The weather has changed significantly in my area. Though we are both located in Mississippi I am in a completely different zone than you being I am further North than yourself. I was hoping things would hold out and your New virgin would have had time to mate and come home sucessfully.
I just checked. Definitely queenless. What do y?all think? Paper combine with another hive? I have 5 really strong double deeps and one single hive that has 2 queens.
That gives you at least two options for sure. (If this hive is still strong with bees), You could take one of the queens as a resource and attempt introducing her to the queenless hive. But keep in mind, one of these double queened hives is most likely set to be a supersede situation. It's a gamble as to whether both queens will survive until spring. (One may be old and on her way our naturally). The older established queen may be old and failing? But if she can last until spring you are ahead if she is still a layer. That option, (gamble), is the one I personally would take.
(Requeen the queenless hive with the extra resource queen). Let me stress, I am not recommending you do this. The odds are strongly against you, I'm just letting you know what I would do, not being afraid to make that gamble while experimenting. Or you could do as you stated, a combination. Either way, make sure they have not entered the laying worker step. In that case just take them away form the other hives and shake them out. The good girls will beg their way into another hive.