Hello,
I have one hive that I started from a package one year ago.  The hive is
very very strong, yeilding over 200 lb of surplus honey last year even
though I am a beginner and they had to draw out all the comb, etc.  On March
first I went into the hive and it was very crowded.  It appeared to me that
they were filling the upper brood chamber (I use two deeps) with nectar as
soon as a cell was empty.  The bees were dive bombing my veil and really
upset by my presence in the hive which I attributed to the cool temperature.
I didn't see any newly layed eggs in the upper box but figured the queen had
been forced down, I didn't go into the lower box.  I have never seen a queen
cell but did see some suspicious looking burr comb bits.  I added a honey
super to try and hold them back.  Since then the weather has been cold, many
nights in the thirties, rainy days in the forties to low fifties.

Today when I opened the hive I went through both boxes and couldn't find any
brood.  Lots of bees, honey, pollen, nectar, but no brood, and the bees were
still very aggressive.  Should I order a new queen ASAP?  Should I wait a
week or so and check again to see if a new queen has started laying?

I am assuming that a swarm departed without my knowledge, does this seem right?
Why would a perfectly nice colony get so irritable over the winter?

Any ssggestions appreciated.
Sarah Grew