diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasParentQueryBuilderTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasParentQueryBuilderTests.java
index 9b69f1a8d35..b6a288d4590 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasParentQueryBuilderTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/query/HasParentQueryBuilderTests.java
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ public class HasParentQueryBuilderTests extends AbstractQueryTestCase<HasParentQ
                 DATE_FIELD_NAME, "type=date",
                 OBJECT_FIELD_NAME, "type=object"
         ).string()), MapperService.MergeReason.MAPPING_UPDATE, false);
+        mapperService.merge("just_a_type", new CompressedXContent(PutMappingRequest.buildFromSimplifiedDef("just_a_type"
+        ).string()), MapperService.MergeReason.MAPPING_UPDATE, false);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -132,20 +134,26 @@ public class HasParentQueryBuilderTests extends AbstractQueryTestCase<HasParentQ
         }
     }
 
-    public void testIllegalValues() {
+    public void testIllegalValues() throws IOException {
         QueryBuilder query = RandomQueryBuilder.createQuery(random());
         try {
             new HasParentQueryBuilder(null, query);
             fail("must not be null");
         } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
-
         }
 
         try {
             new HasParentQueryBuilder("foo", null);
             fail("must not be null");
         } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+        }
 
+        QueryShardContext context = createShardContext();
+        HasParentQueryBuilder queryBuilder = new HasParentQueryBuilder("just_a_type", new MatchAllQueryBuilder());
+        try {
+            queryBuilder.doToQuery(context);
+        } catch (QueryShardException e) {
+            assertThat(e.getMessage(), equalTo("[has_parent] no child types found for type [just_a_type]"));
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/child/ChildQuerySearchIT.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/child/ChildQuerySearchIT.java
index 6300d5d355e..c1b64a1193e 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/child/ChildQuerySearchIT.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/child/ChildQuerySearchIT.java
@@ -1922,17 +1922,4 @@ public class ChildQuerySearchIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
                 QueryBuilders.hasChildQuery("child-type", new IdsQueryBuilder().addIds("child-id"))).get();
         assertSearchHits(searchResponse, "parent-id");
     }
-
-    public void testParentWithoutChildTypes() {
-        assertAcked(prepareCreate("test").addMapping("parent").addMapping("child", "_parent", "type=parent"));
-        ensureGreen();
-
-        try {
-            client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(hasParentQuery("child", matchAllQuery())).get();
-            fail();
-        } catch (SearchPhaseExecutionException e) {
-            assertThat(e.status(), equalTo(RestStatus.BAD_REQUEST));
-            assertThat(e.toString(), containsString("[has_parent] no child types found for type [child]"));
-        }
-    }
 }