Hello, First year beek here. I have 2 new hives one is going great, very strong with brood and stores and I just added another box .
The other hive is a problem.
This package didn't contain a full 3lbs of bees more like 2lbs or less, so it was at a disadvantage from the start. Only about 3/4 is drawn out on the center 2 frames. Another 2 frames are started but barely.
I suspected the queen was dead or had failed after checking at the 2 week mark and there wasn't any eggs or larvae. Compared to my other hive this did not look promising.
Then at week three I found eggs and larvae and figured all's well.
Not so, I just checked the hive (week 4) and found nothing but scattered capped drone cells with what I believe is an emergency queen cup or supersedure cell at the top third of one frame. I looked closely and found multiple eggs and off center eggs as well.
I haven't been able to locate the queen so I'm confident shes dead.
From searching this site it seems I have a classic laying worker issue.
To try and correct this problem I just ordered another package with the hopes of boosting population and getting them queen right again.
My question is how should I go about it?
Should I install the new package bees & queen in a separate broodnest box then do a newspaper combine with the laying worker brood nest box going on top?
Another option I read about would be to shake the laying worker frames out on the ground in front of the hives.
Being that one hive will be the new package, will the shook bees enter their old hive location(which will now contain the new package) and start laying again? Or will the presence of the queen (in queen cage until shes accepted) be enough to set them straight?
OK that sums it up, any thoughts?