Too cold to look

It's been too cold to go into the hives, but I'd really like to take a look and see what's going on.  I have real concerns regarding their viability.  I may be looking at three packages come spring.  If the colonies survive, I'll be re-queening.

Inside Olea's hive

Olea's hive has a window, so I can get a peek.  The number of bees seems to be declining, although they may just be  in a cluster.  I can also see several dead bees on the floor of the empty part of the hive.  The undertaker bees aren't doing their job and I suspect that that is not a good sign, although this may just be natural winter behavior. 

Under the lid of the new hive

I took a peek under the lids of the other two hives.  There was nothing in the old hive.  There were several dead bees in the new hive and one little fly that flew off.  Could these bees be victims of the Phorid fly?  There were also a lot of dead bees on the porch.

New hive porch

Dead bees and Phorid fly pupae

Speaking of Phorid flies, I had picked up 11 crawlers on the stones in front of the hives November 8 and 5 pupae resulted.  None of the pupae I have in containers have hatched yet.

On November 20, I was watching the girls and I noted two groups of bees on the rocks in the dry creek.  It looked like they were having some sort of meeting.