I too have had a time of it getting a queenless hive to succeed in getting a queen back to the hive and laying. The hive in question was a swarm that I caught and hived but then it swarmed leaving behind the queenless bees. Two attempts of adding a frame of eggs and brood and having 12 swams cells the first time and then 6 supersedure cells the second but still no queen has left me with a hive I'm about to join with another! (It was interesting to see the difference between the first attempt and second; swarm cell versus supersedure cells.) Reduced drone numbers due to mites, weather, fewer hives may be having an effect. Never having attempted to get a queenless hive to make a queen I'm not sure what the batting average should be though. I decide to try and have the bees make a queen rather than buy one as I would learn more in the process. So far I have learned alot more. I was thinking that by the second attempt (after 4 weeks without a queen) that the hive might be making some laying workers. If the hive constructs queen cells does that mean there are no laying workers yet? Or better said will the presence of laying workers suppress the urge to make queen cells? Will laying worker or their sisters tear down queen cells or kill the queen? Jim Moore [log in to unmask]