Hello All,
  The dead one looks like a starveout as  all the honey was on one side all
the bees on another heads in empty cells > etc.
I agree.
   Fall treatment was those leaky plastic formic gel packets.
I would be checking before long for varroa. All beekeepers in our area which
used those packets are reporting high infestations of varroa comming out of
winter.

    Last fall hard killing frosts came late and I got to witness just how
much
 trouble yellow jackets could be. On one of the hives you could easily
count> 50 a minute coming and going.

I am in a high yellow jacket area. In my opinion the above hive had other
problems and the yellow jackets were taking advantage of the situation.

     I expected heavier losses because we had such a wet dismal summer and
 smaller colonies going into fall.

The weather is easy to blame but almost all hives will survive if properly
prepared and disease AND MITE free.  I don't know your situation and have
only added my opinion to try and help.  Many beekeepers in the U.S. have let
the Fluvalinate resistant mites slip up on them and are experiencing huge
losses.  Many had huge infestations of varroa last fall when they switched
to the *Apicure* from *Apistan*.   I will listen to beekeepers which can
tell me their mite counts before putting in the *apicure* and the mite
counts(sticky board)after the treatment period.   All others should consider
what I am saying if they are seeing deadouts or unusually small populations
of bees coming out of winter.
Without testing how can any beekeeper tell if  their treatment worked?  All
beekeepers using Coumaphos should start testing for Coumaphos resistant
mites (in my opinion) also.  Coumaphos resistant mites showed up fast in
Italy.
My phone has been ringing off the hook from beekeepers with deadouts,high
infestations of varroa and very small clusters of bees.  As the old saying
goes the truth hurts!
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa,Missouri