In Indiana we had a late cold snap with considerable snow and temps below freeze. Yesterday was just below 50 so I decided to pop the top and check the sugar boards. One hive ok. Great. The other hive, all dead. Not great. I knock on the wall to hear them sometimes and they were still going a week ago, though it was 10 degrees, too cold to look in for trouble then.
The hive configuration was, screened bottom board with solid tray in place to block drafts, slat board, 3 medium supers, sugar board, inner cover, gabled outer cover. When I dug in, the cluster was at the top super with bees still huddled in cells, all empty of food in this top box. There we several bees up in the sugar board, over half full still. I found a single frame with a small amount of brood, much of it chewed open and eaten partially. I found no pollen in the hive, but did find the middle super was filled with capped and untouched honey. Why then were the bees at the top?
What happened here? I assume the lack of pollen was the issue but why would they die now? Shouldn't the honey or sugar keep them buzzing for heat? Might they have been unable to consume the sugar due to lack of humidity from the cold? Any theories about what went wrong here?