Well...this isn't good. We had a really warm day two weeks ago and I was surprised the bees weren't flying. I noticed some bees about on a warm January day, so I became concerned. Sure enough, the bees froze out--too much moisture evidenced by mold--and apparently they couldn't get to the honey stores either because many bees were stuck head first in the cells. There was still a lot of honey in the upper hive body. Next year I'll need to make sure the hives are properly ventilated.
The good news is that the new hive is ready for paint, and I found replacement bees for both hives. I ordered Buckfast bees from the R. Weaver Apiary in Texas, and when I discovered the dead bees I ordered Italians from Gardner Apiary in Georgia. R. Weaver had sold out of Buckfast by then.
I'll post pics from the hiving process when I introduce the new bees in May.
