hive given three frames and new queen dead out ????

[backyard warrior]

I was wondering what you guys and gals think happen to my hive. This hive was a cut out from a house over the summer. All summer they struggled with making a queen that wouldn't lay eggs. I finally gave them a new queen and 3 frames of capped brood with covering bees from my other 3 hives. Today i went into the hive and all the bees emerged from the comb but only a cluster the size of a baseball survived. All the dead bees were on the bottom screen.  The new queen laid lots of eggs in the frames that the small cluster couldn't take care of. I am wondering what might have caused this?? They had a full deep of honey on top of the bottom box.  What i did was take this small cluster and put it on top of a strong hive with a piece of screen to separate them from the bottom hive we will see what happens. Any other ideas??

[Bee-Bop]

I'm not to clear on your post;

a cluster the size of a baseball, I'd say is pretty weak .
Is the Queen dead, if so why not do a combine ?
If the Queen is alive, I'm sure you know you need a double screen, other wise the Queens will fight, one will survive.

Good Luck
Every body do their own thing.

Bee-Bop

[AllenF]

I bet the losses were from defending the hive from robbers.  You will have to combine to keep what you have.   I don't think you have enough for a small nuc for winter. 

[rdy-b]

I bet the losses were from defending the hive from robbers.  You will have to combine to keep what you have.   I don't think you have enough for a small nuc for winter. 

thats what i was thinking ----but there was a deep of honey--it would of been  gone for sure
robbers would not stop till it was cleared-am i correct in my assumption that the honey was still on the hive ?
what kind of time frame was all this happening in-RDY-B

[backyard warrior]

The hive was being robbed today but they still had a full deep of honey on the hive.  I did put a screen between the two hives hoping maybe the heat from the lower hive will keep them alive till spring so i can take the queen and start a new package.

[rdy-b]

where are the robers coming from-and the hive being robed dose it have any bees in it-RDY-B