This nucs was very healthy before it starved. The number of bees was high, but I did not consider that they may need more food than other, smaller hives.
This is a rack from the previous hive. The bees had uncapped all of their stores and were looking for more. There was not a drop of honey or any pollen in the entire hive.
A sure sign that a hive has starved is that you find bees face first down in their cells looking for honey.
Sometimes bees starve, even when there is hony on the rack they are on. It was simply too cold for these guys to break their cluster. There is not really a whole lot you can do about this.
This is a cluster of starved bees with honey a few inches away. Queen intact. Very sad, but again, not much to do about it.
More starved bees with honey.
.
dead bees.
This nucs was very healthy before it starved. The number of bees was high, but I did not consider that they may need more food than other, smaller hives.