re-introduce old queen?

[petert]

Had some queen cells form and so created two nucs.
After two weeks have found one nuc without eggs,the other has developed eggs and even closed cells.
One of the hives has lots of honey and no larvae.
Must have moved the queen to the nuc

Can I just move the frames and the bees back to the hive,or will they kill the old queen maybe?
Thanks for advice.
Peter

[bernsad]

Chances are, if you moved the old queen to the nuc that the original hive will be well underway to making a new queen by now, you would need to check very carefully for signs of queen cells (capped or recently vacated) before you put the old queen back. I would give it another couple of weeks before you put the old queen back. You have a nuc or two, which is what you set out to do, the old hive should be creating a new queen if the old queen was still laying when you removed her and they should be up and running again in a few weeks, if not, then you could combine your nuc back in.

[prestonpaul]

You could always give the hive you think may be queenless a frame of brood with eggs in it. That way if the bees need a queen they will make one, and if there is already a queen there you haven't done any harm.