Hello Jeremy & All,
Been busy but felt maybe Jeremy might have been fishing for a few thoughts.
So here goes.
I am no bee expert but have been through many situations like Jeremy
describes ( but rarely in my own bees)

> 1.  Starvation-- This season was a bad drought, and hives that stayed on
> the coast all season have been on the brink of starvation since September.

Drought is tough on bees. Even when you provide for the hives needs. Immune
system breaks down!

> Cannot feed them fast enough.

I have seen those times. The only thing you can do is spend the money and
feed.( but first determine which are worth spending money on. ) Consider
researchers say a normal hive consumes around 300 pounds of honey in a year.
12 pounds in a gallon. The solution is to not let the hives get to starving.
Its a long time till almonds and some of the strong hives might need 5-10
gallons of feed. My cost on sucrose figures to around $3.50 a gallon *plus*
labor & fuel.

  Some yards were 15 frames in
> October and now are 6 frames.

The queens shut down. Syrup alone with not keep the brood coming. if you
feed pollen sub & light syrup you can keep the strength up. If you want to
brood feed syrup similar to nectar. A strong hive needs a half gallon a week
to maintain strength and keep from  shutting down brood laying.

Most likely now serious brood rearing will not start until after the winter
solace.

 but there appears to be a slow
> kill happening in some hives, with dead workers piled in front
 I am also noticing the phenomenon recently coined
> "entombed pollen" in many hives, where there is brick red pollen sealed
> beneath wax.

Maybe sumac?
 Some sumac can be problematic for bees.
entombed can mean several things. Number one is the bees consider the pollen
a problem and for some unknown reason do not even want to remove from the
hive.

What do the larva look like? Is the entombed pollen on frames of brood *or*
mixed in with frames of honey?

> 2.  Varroa-- Also, hives are coming home from South Dakota after a poor
> clover honey crop loaded with mites.

Varroa always raises its ugly head when honey crops are poor. Not sure why.
I expect you are seeing PMS in hives?

>Apparently the hives were not getting treated before being sent home.

This is PPB! I think the main issue is you can not wait until November to
treat for varroa! Most likely the hives you describe Jeremy are way over
threshold.  Many should have been depopulated in Dakota. Now they are making
the varroa issue worse.

> 3.  General hive health-- I have noticed that the hives seem "fragile"
> this season.

I pull no punches. The problems in these hives needed done before shipping
and now need work or you will lost the whole bunch.

  Feeding them syrup can be enough to kill what was a strong
> hive.

Do you mean the bees are not taking feed? All hives should jump on feed.
When starving many times will take to the air but will soon settle down to
feed.

> Other interesting things I have seen recently include SHB larvae brewing
> in pollen patties.

In some areas of the south I go to the small hive beetle eats more of the
patty than the bees do.  Ask some of the beeks from Florida or Texas about
the traps they use.

 --Jeremy I have been called in to advise in many situations like you
describe. The answer is to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Those hives
would have died by now if left in the Dakotas.  Save what you can ,
depopulate those with severe issues and only waste feed, labor, patties and
treatment on hives worth saving.

All the best!

I will be on the road for a few days but will answer when I return or find a 
internet connection. Thanks for the post Jeremy and welcome to BEE-L.

bob

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