Dark wax - no bees - lots of honey - what do I do?

[fiveson]

I opened the hive. They must have swarmed or all died. There is lots of really dark wax. Is this normal? There is no bad odor so I dont think there was disiease.

I am starting a second hive and have nbees coming.

Do I put on a deep with honey all throughout on the top - and a super with empty frames to be drawn below - and a hive top feeder on top of these - or just start with the empty frames?

If just the empty frames - at what point should I use all these frames with Honey?  Also - will they use the hiney to live on?

It sems to me the honey capped frames will just make them think they are out of space and swarm - no?

Should I scartch open all the honey frames and even try to drain them - if I do will they empty the remaining hney and the use them for brood?

I dont see this anywhere in Beekeeping for dummies.

HELP PLEASE!!

[Robo]

Wow, so many questions, where to start.

When a hive swarms, they split and leave nurse bees and a queen cell behind, they don't just all up and leave, that would be absconding.  My bet is your hive died.

Comb darkens the more times brood is raised in it, that is normal.

When you say second hive,  do you mean replace your dead hive, or is that in addition to another hive you have?  I'll assume you mean replace.

Packages will get off to a much quicker start if they have drawn comb verse foundation.  If you are certain your bees didn't die from foulbrood, I would install you package on the drawn comb.  Place empty combs towards the center and combs with honey to the outside.

[Rich V]

Any dead bees around?

[fiveson]

Yes dead bees around. The strange thing was it looked like Pompei. Bees seemed to be mid action and just.... there - dead.  We had an amazing icy wind storm and so I wonder if that did them in.

The new hive is a second.

Do I put empty frames in the lower and then honey laden in the upper?

[FordGuy]

I am a novice and am not generally qualified to give anyone advice, but maybe since it is planting time a local farmer has sprayed pesticide that destroyed your hive.  

Maybe pesticide was sprayed last year, stored with honey and just now uncapped, and eaten.

Look for heads/thoraxes on ground = hornets.

I had a mini-mass die-off last year, bees recovered, never figured out what it was.
Fordguy

I opened the hive. They must have swarmed or all died. There is lots of really dark wax. Is this normal? There is no bad odor so I dont think there was disiease.

I am starting a second hive and have nbees coming.

Do I put on a deep with honey all throughout on the top - and a super with empty frames to be drawn below - and a hive top feeder on top of these - or just start with the empty frames?

If just the empty frames - at what point should I use all these frames with Honey?  Also - will they use the hiney to live on?

It sems to me the honey capped frames will just make them think they are out of space and swarm - no?

Should I scartch open all the honey frames and even try to drain them - if I do will they empty the remaining hney and the use them for brood?

I dont see this anywhere in Beekeeping for dummies.

HELP PLEASE!!