I am also a new beekeeper and have the same problem here in Manitoba.  There
are no eggs or brood in one hive, but the hive seems to be operating
'normally'.  I installed packages in both hives on May 5.  I have ordered a
new queen from Bee Maid in Winnipeg.  They have a shipment of Hawaiin queens
arriving on Wednesday, June 4.  Now all I have to do is find the current
queen to kill her off (if she even exists).  Bee Maid will ship out queens.
 Their web page is http://www.beemaid.com/manitoba/manitoba.html.
 
Can anyone say why the workers wouldn't lay eggs if the queen isn't?
 
Warren Otto
Lorette, MB
 ---------
From: Stiphane Blanchard
To: BEE-L
Subject: Trouble!
Date: Monday, June 02, 1997 11:25AM
 
Hi Bee-Listers,
          Thanks for the info you are sending all the time.  This
morning, I opened my hives to feed them. They are taking that syrup in a
very fast way!  Unfortunetely though, one of them appeared to be
queenless.  No brood, and no visible queen.  I'm just a beginner and
could be mistaken but I saw a lot of capped brood in the other hive.
Interestingly, about three weeks ago I had seen brood in both hives but
just a very few.  What do you think I should do?  I don't think there is
any queen available yet in this part of the world(Canada).  If I put one
on top of the other would that help?  Could I even try to put the quuen
in the bottom with no brood and than the brood in the top with a queen
excluder and try to requeen that part or would that make both of them too
weak?  Thanks in advance.