Sad News from the Bee Yard

I'm very sad to say that one of my bee colonies has died.  Before the holidays, we didn't see any activity going in and out of the hive, which was a bad sign.  All three colonies were being fed sugar syrup with top feeders, but this one probably wasn't able to store enough food for winter.

Small cluster of bees

When I opened the hive, I found a small cluster of dead bees in the second box from the top.  Many of the bees had died with their bodies deep in the comb's cells, indicating that they died of starvation.  Taking the hive apart, I found a full box (9 frames) of stored pollen and about a box of nectar, but very little capped honey.  On the slightly warm day that I checked the hives, there were bees flying in and out of the hive and they were very busy feeding from the top feeder.  I consolidated the capped honey from the dead hive into a new box and gave it to one of my other colonies to supplement their supplies through the winter. 

RIP bees, sorry I couldn't get you through the winter :(

Dead bees attached to the frame