should I combine?

[martyred_cars]

This is my first year with two hives. One is doing really well and is almost ready for a super. The other killed their queen about a month and a half ago and a couple weeks later I saw a new queen in there. She looked good, but so far isn't laying. I don't know if she managed to mate since the weather has been crappy allll summer. Anyway, I should probably give her a few more weeks since I don't really know when she was hatched or when/if she mated, but meanwhile the hive is dwindling a little, even after I put in a frame of eggs from the other hive. They also don't seem to be too serious about food stores, I'm not sure why. So, if in a few weeks she's still not laying, should I combine hives?

My concerns are:
1) This problem hive arrived with a dead queen in the package. Then a couple months later they killed their second queen, who seemed to be laying okay. If they're just wired wrong, I don't want them to wreck the other hive. Though, they're much much happier now, even with their queen who doesn't seem to be laying.
2) I don't really know when to do it. The weather has the blooms all out of whack, for one thing. And also, I'm just about to put a super on the good hive.
3) Do I need to actually find and kill the old queen?

Thanks!

[tecumseh]

I think?? you are asking do you need to kill the queen in the weak hive before combining?

if you wished to be absolutely certain as to which queen survives the combination then certainly.

if the hives are of much different strengths then the probabilities are high that the queen from the stronger hive will survive the combine.

[mike haney]

before you combine you might consider feeding the weak hive with a bucket on top of the frames. switching places with the hives will boost the population, but will probably mean no honey this year from the strong hive unless you have a fall flow. good luck,mike