Starvation

[bassnbees]

I have one hive and am expanding to two this spring.  My bees were taking cleansing flights about ten days ago on a warm day and I peeked in to see a couple of frames of capped honey in my upper deep. The cluster was there but not terribly tight on such a warm day.  I breathed a sigh of relief, replaced the cover and walked away ready to begin my second season as a beekeeper.  We have had a wicked winter here in Western NC and have experienced many weeks, going all the way back into December, when it would stay in the Teens and Twenties for days at a time. We have had in excess of 30 inches of snow here which is really uncommon. The medications were going on in a hive top feeder this week as we anticipate the  red maple to pop any day now. Opened my hive after a 5 day cold spell with 6 or so inches of snow, and my bees had expired with LOTS of bees with their heads down in the cells, only a couple of frames from the capped honey. I guess they didn't move when it was warm and then couldn't move to the stores when it got cold again. This really stinks as it makes me feel like I failed them somehow.
My questions...how and where to store these cleaned frames (still a good many bees stuck in cells) for the next 6 or so weeks until my package of replacements arrive? I cleaned out all the bees I could and scraped the propolis off the top bars.  Indoors won't they begin to smell as the bees deteriorate?  Will the new bees really clean up this mess? Should I just put them in new foundation? 
Thanks in advance for any help!

[Finski]

Put frames in such place that bees will dry into cells. If bodies rotten they spoil the cells.

When you put new bees onto combs, they will pull off the bodies.

[Kathyp]

you did not fail.  this falls under the SH rule.  any number of things could have happened.  it does sound as though they starved.  they could have been weakened by disease, mites, weather not allowing them to eat in time.

the fact that they took cleansing flights and did not eat is a little suspicious.  it is possible that they were queenless.  you may have had many bees leave and only the weaker bees left in the hive.  the bees that starved may have starved over winter and the other bees have gone.

do as finski says with the frames.  clean off the bottom board and get ready for new bees.