During cold snaps I often observe the brood on the periphery of frames being abandoned to chilling, but not full frames of brood. But our temperature swings may not go as low as yours in spring. Are you saying that your colonies were not able to maintain thermoregulation of full frames of brood?
Correct, many times in march we have 5/6 frames of brood and not nearly enough bees to adequately cover them for severe cold.
Its only when we get say 2-3 weeks of nightly 40's and then a real cold front moves in and nights are teens and days are 40's.... about once every 3 years.
Charles
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