Queen making ?

[jimmy]

I have 4 hives, 1 exceptional strong ,2 not quite as strong and 1 weak hive .It was a new hive in the early spring but, so was the strongest hive. The weak hive has plenty of capped brood but very few new eggs.I am thinking of placing a frame of new fresh eggs from the strong hive into the weak hive to make a new queen.
1. Do I need to do anything special  such as wait for autumn honey flow?

2. Place a queen plastic cell cap on new brood? which I have none and would have to order from somewhere.

3. Do nothing and wait for the hive to make a new queen on it's own from old queen, who must have been a weak queen from the start?

4. Buy a new queen from somewhere .My regular bee supplier is in N.Dakota . He migrates with his bees every year.

[randydrivesabus]

it is best to use a very strong highly populated hive to start a queen. it may be best for you to pinch the queen and combine your weak hive with one of the mediocre hives.
your apiary is the classic 25-50-25. 25% of your hives are strong. 50% are ok. and 25% are weak.

[derrick1p1]

Hmmm.  Not heard of the 25-50-25 before, but seems to work for me.  Been that way all year, but seems to fluctuate between hives (hives go from super to good, some weak to strong etc).