Ostracism

[Annrbel]

Two part question. Does anyone have any information about ostracism, if so could it be the reason for the following: I was recently shown a partly drawn brood frame which came from a small colony that had made it through the winter and was now building up. On the frame were about 30 bees, head down into cells in a circle - all obviously dead from starvation. The keeper insists there were plenty of stores available, and thought it likely they had somehow got split from the main cluster - what would do that?

 

[mbc]

intense cold- its sometimes called isolation starvation