Queenless after split

[Woodland bees]

Sorry for another queenless question but...

I split a colony and the Q- half formed plenty of Q cells that were reduced to the best one. This appeared to hatch around 10th July (cell open at the tip). I've never seen the Q and, to date, there's no eggs and the bees don't seem to be preparing for any. I added a frame of eggs on 26th but having checked they not formed any new Q cells.

I know this suggests there's a Q but I've never had to wait that long and I'd like to merge the colony if it's not going to raise a Q.

Strangely the Q+ half of the split became queenless after the split and that has now raised a Q which was laying well yesterday.

If I merge them, I'd like to move the Q+ colony to the Q- site. Should I put the Q+ brood box on top of the Q- box or put the Q+ box on the bottom? To be clear they were the same colony a month ago if that helps.

 

[enrico]

I would wait. Patience is a virtue with queen's.
If uniting I like to try and get the queen right colony on the bottom but it doesn't really matter.
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wait. Give her six weeks from emergence then try a test frame again. I like the queen in the bottom so you at least know where she is.

 

[Swarm]

Sounds like something is running around in there. Wait, better safe than sorry.

 

[Woodland bees]

Wait, better safe than sorry.

On that note what normally happens if you merge two queens together. Swarm, fight to the death or something else?

I'll wait a bit longer but it's been warm and sunny for the last month apart from 2 days so she's had time to get on with things. We have had a lot of swallows, dragonflies and other bee munching critters about so plenty of culprits for a missing Q.

 

[Erichalfbee]

On that note what normally happens if you merge two queens together. Swarm, fight to the death or something else?

.

The bees do it
You might end up with one dead queen and an injured one.
You might end up with the wrong queen surviving.

 

[Swarm]

The known, laying queen gets killed by the unknown quantity.....

 

[Woodland bees]

I know this suggests there's a Q but I've never had to wait that long and I'd like to merge the colony if it's not going to raise a Q.

Strangely the Q+ half of the split became queenless after the split and that has now raised a Q which was laying well yesterday.

A belated update on this post. The Q- split did indeed end up producing a laying queen. Which is just as well as the new laying queen in the Q+ split disappeared (didn't seem to swarm) so I ended up merging them after all.