Back from abroad and some bad news

So there we were, at the top of Sacre Coeur on Montmartre in Paris, enjoying the view.  And there on the roof top below us....bee hives.
The day before we left, I noticed that there was decreased activity around Olea's hive.  I peeked through the window, and, yes, not many bees.  I then did a thorough search.  There were very few bees, spotty brood and dead pupae.

Dead pupae from Olea's hive

There was no bad smell and no goopy larvae.  Even though I was concerned that this might be foulbrood or some other contagious disease.  I did spot the queen after I nearly lost her by nearly dropping the frame she was on.  Since we were leaving the next morning, there was nothing I could do.  I did email Kathy Niven and got a response from her in Paris.  She didn't think it was foulbrood, so I was reassured even though I knew the colony was doomed.  Upon our return, I took a look at the hive.  On the porch was lots of debris.

Debris on the porch

Inside all the honey had been robbed, as anticipated.  The debris, which was also inside, is the chewed off caps of the honey.  The hive was otherwise empty except for two dead bees and a couple of robbers still looking around.  There was some (presumably) dead brood and lots of beebread.

Spotty capped brood

Beebread

Close-up of bee bread

I emailed Eric Mussen at Davis asking if he could identify the cause of death from my picture and description.  Of course he couldn't be positive but he suspected it may be chilled brood.  I can't explain what caused the drop in population that led to the death, but at least I won't need to sanitize the hive.
I tried to remove the beebread but it was just too tedious.  I do have a small amount;  it tastes somewhat sour and grassy with sweet overtones.  I will process all the wax.
I did use the honey extractor before we left.  It's not as easy to use I had hoped.  The problem is balancing the frames;  when it is off balance, the whole thing wobbles crazily.  We did get a few pounds of honey.  Yum!