Not a beekeeper any more :(

They all died of starvation

Unfortunately, last year seems to have been such a good one for swarms that there weren't enough bees left to keep the colony warm enough through winter.  I'd have united them with another colony but I only had one.

The colony built up very fast in the early season due to the strong nectar flow and once they decide to swarm it's near impossible to stop them from going and the colony was depleted to such an extent that there weren't enough bees left to stay warm through the winter.

The winter cluster couldn't keep the inside of the hive warm enough for them to break off and just travel to the next frame which was full of stores so they starved (characterised by them dead with their heads and bodies in honey cells). 

Hefting the hive didn't help because they had enough stores to survive by, but with there being too few bees to allow them to move around inside more freely meant that they only kept to two or 3 frames.

Next year I'll know to look out for there being fewer wax cappings on the removable varroa floor and any that there are being on one side of the hive and not the other which could indicate that they aren't uniformly spread throughout the hive. 

Ever the optimist; at least I still have the equipment and 2 full seasons of experience, and some other beekeeping friends of mine are very likely to need to split their hive as part of their own swarm control this year so I'll have more again before the spring is out, it's just disappointing that I couldn't see this lot through their second winter.

Oh that is so sad.I'm looking into keeping bees. I had no idea that that sort of thing could happen.

I'm so sorry to hear about your bees. I am worrying about mine too as they are all on one side of the hive (was a big colony and didn't swarm). I checked them the last bit of good weather we had and they had plenty of stores above them so I am just hoping they are strong enough to get through the year.
Next week is meant to be pretty mild so I'm hoping that they will be able to move round the hive if they need to to get to the rest of their copious stores. Isolation starvation does still really worry me but know they have some above them so they should be ok. I think I worry about them more as I am having to live away from home at the moment so I can't check on them as often as I would like.

Thanks for the warning and good luck for next year. As you say, at least you are set up to start early with the kit and 2 years experience.

I have a friend who keeps bees (for 25 years now) and she's had this happen for the last four years. She's experienced enough and has access to professional beekeepers for info, but the bees still leave despite new queens every year. No one has an answer for her. In the past she used to just put on another super so they could spread out but now that doesn't work anymore. It's very possible the queen has mated with another variety, one that has swarming in its genetic makeup.

I know that doesn't help you much, but to let you know you're not alone in this problem.