Queen Problem?

[IsleWx]

Hi ya'll,

We inspected our two hives yesterday; the bees were installed about three weeks ago.  One is quite vigorous, lots of bees, lots of capped brood in a nice solid pattern, on about half the frames (maybe more) :).  The second hive doesn't seem to have quite as many bees and isn't as far along, the outermost frames aren't drawn out, but the brood pattern is good on the center frames, lots of larvae, pollen, capped syrup and such.

My friends new hive was also inspected; we installed her bees within a day or two of mine; they're all Italian.  She has some bees, but rather than congregating on the center frames they are dispersed throughout the hive.  The bees are quiet/gentle.  There are lots of drones, no capped brood, no larvae, just some capped syrup.  Her queen has never been visualized although she is marked, and should be pretty easy to see given the density of bees per frame in that hive.  I couldn't see any eggs, but I am a newbee and the foundation is light colored. There was some burr comb but nothing that looked like a supercedure or queen cell, no drone cells either as I recall.

I think since the bees are quiet and gentle, there must be a queen in the hive.  But she doesn't seem to be laying much if at all.  If the hive were queenless I would expect the bees to be rather defensive. 

Should we attempt to requeen the hive, or is there somthing I have missed here? :-\

Thanks for your help,

Mp

[jimmyo]

  You might be missing a queen. 
  You can try putting a frame of eggs and larva from another hive in the one that might be queenless.  They might make a queen on that frame if they need one.
Jim 

[wayseer]

No eggs - no queen.  I'd requeen immediately then introduce a brood of frame sans bees from a strong hive to kick things along.

[IsleWx]

Thanks ya'll, that's more or less what I thought.

Or more accurately, was afraid of.  I am not sure I have enough frames to share.  Its early in the season, and we don't really have much winter here so my girls will probably be able to make up any losses.