Queenless Nuc - HELP!

[Two Bees]

When I created a five frame nuc, the workers did not create a queen.  I added another frame of eggs and capped brood from one of my main hives and they started a couple of queen cells but the queens must not have survived.

I decided to combine this nuc with another nuc that had a laying queen in it.  Now, the combined "double" nuc does not have a queen.

This past weekend, I added another frame of eggs (made sure they were eggs!) to this double nuc and will check this weekend to see if I see a queen cell.

Question 1:  What more could I be doing?

Question 2:  I have heard that the laying workers will kill a queen.   Do you think this is what's happening?

[asprince]

How long after you saw queen cells until you did the combine? You may have had a virgin queen and you still may have a virgin queen.


Steve 

[riverrat]

you didnt say how long it had been from the time you saw queen cells until you thought yo was queenless. It takes up to 3 weeks for a queen to start laying. Im guessing you probly had a queen in the nuc. I would have put anther frame of eggs in the nuc to see if they started another queen. When you combine Both queens may have been killed or injured in the fight once they met.

[Two Bees]

Good points!  It was about 3 weeks from the time I saw the queen cells until I combined.  I started to see a lot of drone cells with larvae so I may have made a snap decision that the nuc may have been without a queen.

I had a strong hive this spring that went queenless and before I could react, there were drones everywhere and wax moths had moved in!